The Power of Innocence
by Data Girl 3
Summary: The sequel to Beyond the Thirteenth Hour. Sarah and Toby return to the Labyrinth to help their friends vanquish a dangerous enemy that threatens to destroy the entire Underground forever.
1. A Cry for Help

The courtyard within the Goblin City was filled with a festive air. Everywhere you looked, garlands and multi-colored pennant banners were hanging from rooftops, and everyone moving about were dressed in their finest clothes. Even Ludo had been dolled up, with a gold trimmed shoulder cape secured around his neck. However, the yeti's attention was pulled away from his current task of securing the tent pavilion that had been set up in the center of the square when he heard the argument brewing behind him.

"No, no! Don't put the bunting around the base of the fountain! That's where the flower garland was going!"

"Oh, don't be silly! The bunting is far better! See? It'll hide the cracks in the stone masonry better!"

"And it'll be easier to get noticeably wet, too! You _know_ that fountain has a tendency to splash water. With the flower garland, we can use that to our advantage. Give the illusion of dewdrops over the flowers."

Letting out a low noise of exasperation, Ludo turned to see Daedalus and Sir Didymus standing nearby, arguing over decorations. Shaking his shaggy head, Ludo stepped over to the pair and gently nudged them apart.

"No fighting," Ludo rumbled. "Get along. For Stacey."

"Ah, you're right, my brother," Sir Didymus said, relenting. "Today is a day for joyous celebration. We can't let ourselves forget that."

"Perhaps a compromise is in order," Daedalus suggested.

Before the two of them could even begin to decide on their compromise, Thesus suddenly appeared, scampering over to them in an urgent matter.

"Cu-chu!" he exclaimed. "Cu-cu-chu!"

"Woah! Slow down, Theseus!" Daedalus instructed, hopping down to stand next to the gremlin. "What about Stacey?"

* * *

Up in the castle, the Goblin Princess, Stacey, was sitting by the window in the room that had once been her nursery. The room had undergone significant changes since she'd moved into the castle over two years ago. Since then, the crib and multiple playthings had been replaced by a majestic four poster bed and various other bits of furniture, from a fine looking mahogany wardrobe to a marble vanity adorned with a hairbrush set crafted from the finest silver available in the Underground. However, Stacey didn't seem to notice any of those things, simply staring off into space as her mind wandered.

Her thoughts were interrupted when a voice spoke her name.

"Stacey?" Daedalus called out, hopping into the room through the open door. "Are you in here?"

"Over here, Daedalus," Stacey replied, unmoving from her spot at the window, which she'd been staring out of. Immediately, Daedalus clicked his beak in concern. All it took was one glance to see the anxiety on Stacey's face.

"What's wrong?" Daedalus asked, moving closer to her.

"Why did I think I could do this?" Stacey lamented. "Why did I think I was ready for this?"

"It might be a little late to back out now," Daedalus noted. "Considering everyone has already arrived and is waiting for the ceremony to begin in the square."

"You're not helping," Stacey remarked, turning away from the window and beginning to pace the room.

"Well, perhaps it'll help if you said what you were so nervous about," the diminutive owl pointed out. "You seemed quite sure of things yesterday."

"I was," Stacey agreed. "And I suppose I still am. I haven't changed my mind, at the very least. Just…"

Daedalus was about to open his beak to urge her to continue when there was a soft knock on the door. Seconds later, Hoggle, not even waiting for a response, entered the room.

"Hoggle, what are you doing up here?" Daedalus exclaimed. "You're supposed to be down in the square!"

"I know, but I heard from Sir Didymus, who heard from Theseus, that she was in need of a friend right now. So, I couldn't just stand around down there, doing nothin'."

"It's all right, Daedauls," Stacey spoke up before the owl could reply, stepping forward in the process. "He may stay."

Hoggle's eyes widened when he caught sight of Stacey, who was wearing an elegant off-the-shoulder ivory dress with golden embroidery across the bodice. "Cor. You look beautiful!"

"Thank you for that, Hoggle," Stacey said, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. "You don't look to shabby, yourself."

"Yes, well…" Hoggle muttered, averting his eyes in embarrassment while tugging at the clean silk tunic featuring a golden infinity symbol, which had been specifically tailor-made for him to wear for the occasion. "Let's focus on you right now, shall we? What exactly is troublin' you?"

"I believe she's nervous about going through with the ceremony," Daedalus explained.

"What's the problem?" Hoggle asked, concern filling his gaze. "You're not havin' second thoughts, are you?"

"No, it's not that," Stacey replied, shaking her head. "I know it sounds crazy, but… isn't there some way we can skip all this pomp and circumstance? Can't I just…sign my name to a scroll and let that be it? Simple and to the point, you know?"

"Is that what the problem is?" Daedalus asked. "You're nervous about the ceremony itself?"

"I know. I'm just being silly."

"You're not being silly at all," Hoggle comforted. "There's nothin' wrong with being nervous. You just have to remember you have nothin' to worry about. In fact, you actually have the easiest job there is. All you really have to do is walk down to the tent pavilion and respond to a few questions. It's the Wise Man who has the hardest job, seeing as he's the one officiating everything. Knowing him, he might end up falling asleep in the middle of everything." In spite of her trepidation, Stacey let out a low chuckle at Hoggle's remark. Emboldened by that response, Hoggle stepped over to her side and placed a supportive hand on her arm.

"Besides," he continued. "It's like you said. This is all just pomp and circumstance. The ceremony today isn't going to change anythin'. It's just takin' what we've _all_ known to be true these past two years and making it official. Nothin' more than that."

"Thank you, Hoggle," Stacey replied, casting a warm, grateful smile his way.

"You feelin' any better?" he inquired.

"I think I am." However, Stacey's smile faded a bit when her gaze fell on the old painting that hung on the far wall. It was the portrait of the late Queen Susan, who had died under tragic circumstances when Stacey had been a year old. Noticing where Stacey was looking and realizing what she was thinking, Hoggle let out a sad sigh.

"I know," he consoled. "I wish Sarah could have been here today, too."

"We just have to remember she has her own life to live in the Aboveground," Stacey said. "She'll be away at college now, so it's only natural that she wouldn't be able to find time to visit that often. Still, it's a shame she couldn't make it to the ceremony. Especially since I wouldn't have found my way back to the Underground in the first place without her."

The wistful moment was broken when a small goblin poked his head into the room.

"Begging your pardon, your majesty," he said. "But it's time for the ceremony to begin.

"Thank you, Shinjee," Stacey responded with a nod. "We'll be right down."

"Are you still nervous?" Hoggle asked, concern in his eyes.

"A little," Stacey admitted. "But I think I can handle it."

"Alright then," Daedalus stated, visibly pleased with how Stacey had gotten past her misgivings about the day. "Let's get you down to the square. We've got your coronation to get underway."

"Yeah, we do, don't we?"

After taking a steadying breath, Stacey turned and followed after Shinjee, with Hoggle and Daedalus close behind her. As such, there was no one left in the room to notice a few flakes of snow falling onto the window pane.

* * *

 **6 Months Later**

It was a warm, clear sunny day in Kent, Ohio when twenty-year-old Sarah Williams looked out her bedroom window, just letting her mind wander. She was currently home for the summer months after completing her sophomore year at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theater and Dance, but she was not that excited about it. Even after three years of living in this town with her family, she had no attachment to it. A large part of her couldn't wait to return to school, just so she could get out of this town again. In fact, the only reason she even bothered coming back to Kent for the summer was to spend time with her six-year-old brother, Toby. The chance to spend time with him was worth putting up with her step-mother, Irene, who always made it clear that she didn't approve of Sarah's aspiration to be an actress.

Sometimes, Sarah couldn't stop herself from wondering if Kent would be more inviting if she'd really bothered trying to make friends here, but at the same time, she knew it wouldn't be a good idea. Once she graduated from her school and got an acting job, she had no intention of remaining here, and would be moving to a place of her own without hesitation. Having friends here in Kent would only make the move harder.

In fact, there was only one person Sarah had actually became friends with in Kent, and that had been Stacey, whom Sarah had met after her first day at Theodore Roosevelt High School. However, it had been quite a while since Sarah had last seen Stacey, along with her other friends, Hoggle, Ludo, Sir Didymus, Theseus, and Daedalus. Part of the reason for their length of absence from Sarah's life was that they didn't live in Kent. In fact, they didn't even live in this world at all. Stacey and the others were all from the Underground, a magical world that Sarah had visited on two occasions. On her last visit to the Underground, Stacey had given her a magical pendent that she could use to travel to and from the Underground any time she wanted. But so far, Sarah had hesitated from using it as often as she'd have liked to. It turned out that when she went to the Underground last time, she had been gone from her world for nearly four days. When she'd returned home, she'd found that her father and step-mother had actually called the police to report that she had been missing, and had probably run away. Sarah wanted to avoid a repeat of that experience, and had so far kept her visits to the Underground to a minimum. And ever since she enrolled in college, she found she had even less free time to venture to the Underground, on account of her need to study for her classes. Many times, she often found herself wondering what her friends were doing, and if they missed her as much as she missed them.

At that moment, the bedroom door opened and Toby stepped in, carrying his favorite teddy bear, Lancelot.

"Hi, Sarah," Toby grinned happily climbing onto Sarah's bed.

"Hello, Toby," Sarah returned his smile, stepping over to her little half brother to ruffle his curly hair. "What's going on?"

"Mom went out shopping," Toby announced. "You're supposed to watch me again."

"I guess I should have expected that," Sarah sighed to herself. That was probably the only reason Irene wanted her around- watching Toby. On the positive side, Toby was at that age when he tried to act like a big kid, which meant that he rarely cried anymore.

Turning, Sarah started to look through the jigsaw puzzles she kept on her shelf, searching for one that would interest Toby, but as she was searching, a voice suddenly cried out.

"Sarah!"

Sarah's back stiffened, her eyes widening. That had been Stacey's voice. She was sure of it. When she turned to look around her room, however, all she saw was Toby looking back at her. One look at his face, however, told Sarah that he'd heard Stacey's voice, too.

"Stacey?" Sarah called out, still looking around the room and trying to figure out where Stacey's voice had came from. Unfortunately, there was no sign her anywhere, until...

"Sarah!" Toby suddenly cried, pointing at the small television that sat atop Sarah's dresser. There, on the television screen, was the image of Stacey, her face greatly distressed.

"Stacey!" Sarah gasped, hurrying over to the television, staring at the image of her friend in amazement. Stacey's image within the TV screen was very hazy, and when she spoke, her voice kept fading in and out, making it sound like a bad radio signal.

"Sarah!" Stacey's voice rang out urgently. "Sarah…. Underground…. danger!"

"Stacey, what's wrong?" Sarah exclaimed, clutching the edge of the dresser in worry.

"We ….help," Stacey continued. "Ple….come back!" With that, Stacey's image completely fizzled out and was lost.

"Stacey, _wait_!" Sarah cried, now extremely worried. For a long moment, Sarah continued staring at the black screen, hoping that Stacey's image would appear again, but to no avail.

"Sarah?" Toby asked hesitantly, sliding off the bed.

"Something's wrong," Sarah whispered, turning back to her brother. "Stacey sounded like she was in real trouble. I have to go back."

"Back to the Underground?" Toby's eyes widened. Sarah had told him all about her adventures in the Underground as bedtime stories, and he always loved hearing about that other world. "But Sarah, what about Mom and Dad? Last time you were there, they were really scared when you were gone." Sighing in exasperation, Stacey grabbed a pen from her desk and ripped out a clean page from a notebook, writing a hasty note.

"There," Sarah announced, placing the note on the foot of her bed. "I've told them not to worry, and I'll be back soon. Toby, I need to go. My friends might be in trouble. I have to help them, now!" As Sarah talked, she slid open her drawer and carefully took out the silver pendant Stacey had given her, but as she held it in her hand, Toby grabbed her arm.

"Sarah, I wanna come, too!" he begged, looking up at her beseechingly.

"Toby, you can't!" Sarah shook her head. "You're too…"

"I'm a big kid!" Toby announced stubbornly. "I wanna help Stacey, too!" Sarah took a long moment to think, finally realizing her predicament. She had been so worried about her friends in the Underground; she almost completely forgot that she couldn't leave Toby alone in the house. On the other hand, she couldn't just wait around for Irene to return home, either. Now when her friends were possibly in serious trouble. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that there was no other choice. She had to take Toby along.

"All right," Sarah reluctantly gave in. "Give me your hand." The moment Toby was holding her hand, Sarah held out her pendant, closing her eyes and making the wish to return to the Underground. Almost instantly, Sarah and Toby disappeared, leaving the empty room behind.


	2. The Underground's Plight

Within the Underground, Sarah and Toby materialized on the hill overlooking the Labyrinth, and instantly found themselves knee-deep in snow. Right away, they were assaulted by an unexpected chill in the air. Unable to hold back a shiver from the bitter weather, Sarah looked around in shock. Everything around them was covered with snow and ice.

"What happened?" Sarah voiced her shock at the terrible weather around them. It was at that moment that a particularly frigid wind blew by, making everything seem even colder than it already was. With a small whimper, Toby hunched up, trying to keep warm while shivering against the snow. Filled with concern for her younger brother, Sarah bent down and gathered him up in her arms.

"Sarah, it's too cold," Toby moaned, still shivering.

"I know, Toby. I'm cold, too," Sarah replied. "Well, we can't stay here. We need to find some place to get warm." Keeping Toby tucked firmly against her in an attempt to shield him from the cold, Sarah started to shuffle off.

"Cu…Chu?" Sarah stopped in her tracks at hearing the familiar sound.

"Theseus?" Sarah turned towards the voice. Sure enough, Theseus the gremlin was standing behind her, his yellow fur heavily caked with snow. However, his large black eyes widened with happiness upon seeing Sarah.

"Cu-CHU!" Theseus cried, scampering over to rub against Sarah's legs in greeting.

"It's good to see you, too, Theseus," Sarah laughed, smiling down at the gremlin. "Where are the others?"

Theseus smiled happily and started heading off down the hill with Sarah following close behind. Very soon, Theseus had led Sarah to a small wooden cottage located in what had once been the gardens outside the gate to the Labyrinth. Beneath the crack under the door, Sarah could make out the flickering light that usually came from a blazing fire. Knowing that fire meant warmth, Sarah carefully lowered Toby to the ground so she could knock on the door. She only had to wait for a few seconds before it opened, allowing her to be welcomed by the sight of Hoggle standing inside the cottage.

"Sarah!" Hoggle cried in joy. "You've came back!"

"It's good to see you, too, Hoggle," Sarah smiled at her friend as he stepped aside to usher everyone into the cottage. Looking around, Sarah caught sight of some of her other friends, Ludo, Prometheus, and Sir Didymus, gathered around a fire that was burning in the stone hearth. All three of them greeted Sarah warmly upon seeing her, with Ludo budging over to allow room for her and Toby by the fire. Theseus, not waiting for an invitation, had already curled up in front of the fire like a pet cat.

As Sarah sat down, she took notice of a female fox she recognized as Lady Berdine, whom she had met very briefly on her last visit, sitting next to Sir Didymus. Lady Berdine was cradling something in her arms, and when Sarah took a second to get a better look at the bundle, she saw that it was a baby fox, fast asleep.

"Lady Sarah," Sir Didymus beamed upon noticing Sarah looking at the baby fox, "may I present to you Reynard."

"In other words," Prometheus spoke up, "Didymus and Berdine's newborn son."

"Oh, congratulations!" Sarah cried, grinning at the two foxes.

"Thank you, Lady Sarah," Lady Berdine nodded. "I just wish he hadn't been born in such a dangerous time."

The moment she said this, Sarah remembered the harsh weather outside the hut.

"Hey, guys, what happened here?" she asked her friends. "I know I've only been here a few times, but everything's covered in snow. That can't be normal weather, can it? I mean, it's summer back in our world."

"I'm afraid it _is_ bad, Sarah," Hoggle confirmed, offering her and Toby bowls of a thick chowder. "The seasons in the Underground have always mirrored the ones in your world. But I think it's better if you wait until Stac…I mean, _Queen_ Stacey arrives. She's with Daedalus right now, reinforcing the enchantments protecting this hut. As the Goblin Queen, she naturally knows more than the rest of us."

"I've told you before, Hoggle. I always tell you everything as soon as I learn it. I have no secrets, my friend. Especially not from you." As if on cue, Stacey had appeared in the doorway of the hut, with Daedalus the saw-whet owl perched on her shoulder. She was currently fixing the dwarf with a gentle but tired smile. "

Once again, Sarah felt a smile stretch across her face upon seeing another old friend. Stacey looked exactly as she remembered, with the exception of her hair. While it had been left as its natural blonde, silver highlights had been applied to the golden tresses.

"So, _Queen_ Stacey?" Sarah asked, a teasing tone in her voice."

"Well…yeah," Stacey shrugged, looking a bit self-conscious. "You kinda missed the coronation. Sorry about that. I would have sent you an invitation, but there are no cross-dimensional post offices. And besides, we figured you had enough to think about with college classes."

Suddenly checking herself, Sarah started to bow respectively, but Stacey held up a hand to stop her.

"No, Sarah," Stacey smiled in partial amusement. "There's no need for the formalities. I come here to the Border Garden all the time just to get away from it. As I'm constantly reminding Hoggle, bowing and calling me things like ' _Highness_ ', and ' _Majesty_ '; that's not necessary. You're my friends. I'd much rather all of you to continue calling me Stacey. That's who I was first, and that's who I'll be forever."

"Okay," Sarah agreed, stopping in mid-bow to respect Stacey's wishes. Instead, she greeted her with a friendly hug. "It's really good to see you, Stacey. I've missed you."

"I missed you, too, Sarah," Stacey agreed as the hug ended. "And in response to your questions, it began six months ago. That's when the snow first began to fall. For a while, no one worried too much about it. After all, it was around that time when snow usually fell in the Underground, so it was seen as perfectly normal. But there was no change in the weather, even when it was the usual time for spring to arrive. The sun stopped shinning altogether, and the snow on the ground never melted. It was as if we were stuck in an endless winter. To make matters worse, two weeks after we began to suspect something was wrong, denizens of the Labyrinth started disappearing without a trace, almost as if they were simply erased from existence. Unless I'm mistaken, we're probably the only ones left by now. Everyone else is gone, including the entire goblin army and Prometheus' friends. Even Ambrosius has gone missing."

"No," Sarah gasped in shock, looking around the cottage. Was Stacey right? Was the small handful of beings in the hut all that was left? "That can't be true."

"I'm afraid it is, Sarah," Daedalus spoke up. "I myself saw it happen once. I was off hunting mice in the Labyrinth, and happened to meet up with the Wise Man who lives outside the hedge maze. One moment he was there, and I looked away for just a moment. When I glanced back, he'd vanished completely. And I know the Wise Man couldn't just run and hide somewhere in that small amount of time that I looked away. His advanced age prevents him from moving anywhere fast enough."

"Can we help?" Toby suddenly asked, speaking for the first time since arriving in the Underground.

"I don't know, Toby," Stacey bowed her head, sounding completely defeated and hopeless. "I don't even know what we're up against. Not bad work, huh? I'm Goblin Queen for less than a year, and I can't even stop something like this from happening."

"It's not your fault, Quee... sorry, _Stacey_ ," Hoggle stepped in, placing a comforting hand on her arm. " _No one_ could have prevented it, and you're doin' what you can. After all, you were the one who cast the protective spells over this cottage, to keep the rest of us from disappearin' as well."

"Sir Hoggle is right, my liege," Sir Didymus agreed. "And ye have even been working at bringing all the scrolls from yon castle's archives, to try and find some information on what has been happening." As he spoke, Sir Didymus gestured to the corner of the cottage, where a large pile of scrolls resided.

Before Stacey could respond to her friends' supportive words, the door creaked open, letting in a frigid breeze as a female dwarf in a simple olive green dress entered the cottage. Without any hesitation, she stepped over to Hoggle and hugged him tightly.

"Hello, Hoggle," she gushed.

"Uh, hello to you too, Primrose," Hoggle replied, patting her back. "But what were you doing out there, anyway? You know that you might disappear as well if you leave the cottage."

"Aw, were you worried about me?" Primrose smiled, squeezing Hoggle's arm affectionately. "I was only trying to help by seeing if there was anyone else left besides us."

"Sarah, Toby, this is Primrose, a newcomer to these parts," Stacey introduced briskly. "She appeared at the gates of the Labyrinth sometime after your last visit to the Underground, Sarah, and she's been living here ever since." Noticing something in Stacey's tone, Sarah chanced a look at the Goblin Queen to see she was eyeing the two dwarfs in badly masked irritation. Daedalus must have noticed it too, for he chose that moment to speak.

"Primrose, come join us and have some chowder," he invited. "There are still plenty of scrolls we haven't gotten around to examining. Once all of us have been fed, I think we should all try to pitch in as we search them. Hopefully, with all ten of us working together, we'll be able to find something much quicker. And the sooner we know exactly what's going on, we'll be able to come up with a way to stop it."


	3. Another Plan of Action

It wasn't much later that everyone was congregated around the fire in the hearth, scouring the scrolls from the castle's archives over bowls of hot chowder. While they were reading, Primrose struck up a conversation with Sarah.

"It is very nice to finally meet you," Primrose began with a warm smile. "Hoggle and his friends have told me all about you, and I am delighted to finally be able to put a face with a name."

"Well, it's nice to meet you too, Primrose," Sarah returned the greeting. "What brought you to the Labyrinth, anyway?"

"The fact is most dwarfs, like Hoggle and myself, usually live in villages with others of our kind. For most of my life, I lived in one near the mountains, a good distance from the Labyrinth. But a few years ago, my village was traveling to pay a visit to another dwarf village located in the valley. Unfortunately, I was separated from the rest of my village during our travels. I wandered for days, completely alone, until I was fortunate enough to find myself at the Labyrinth. I do sometimes think about trying to return to find my village, but everyone here has been very kind to me and offered me a place to stay. Besides, I rather like living here. After all, it's where Hoggle lives." In emphasis to these words, Primrose hugged Hoggle's arm affectionately, fixing him with a sweet-as-honey smile.

"Not to interrupt your charming moment, Primrose," Stacey spoke up, her voice carrying a strong hint of annoyance, "but these scrolls aren't reading themselves. Personally, I'd appreciate it if you concentrated on helping the rest of us reading." Once again, Sarah glanced over at the Goblin Queen and noticed that she was blatantly not looking at the two dwarfs, with a definite crease between her eyebrows. Hoping to change the subject, Sarah asked the question she'd wanted to ask for a while.

"Stacey, did…did you ever find out where Jareth went after the last time I was here?" Stacey's reaction to that question was the exact opposite of what Sarah had been expecting. Instead, her face immediately darkened with an expression of anger and hate, and her hands clenched into fists.

"Don't talk to me about that man," Stacey growled. "I don't know what happened to him. In fact, I don't even _care_ what happened to him."

"But…Stacey, he's your fath…."

"NO!" Stacey cut Sarah off before she could finish. "That….monster was _not_ my father."

At that moment, a sudden gust of wind outside blew a window open. The harsh expression remaining on her face, Stacey momentarily stepped away from the group to close it.

"You mean Stacey still won't acknowledge Jareth as her father?" Sarah asked her friends in a whisper.

"I cannot say I blame her, my lady," Sir Didymus explained. "Queen Stacey is very angry with the former Goblin King. Do not forget, she grew up knowing nothing about where she came from. And then to find out the father of her birth had enslaved everyone in the Labyrinth?"

"But…from what he told her last time," Sarah persisted. "It sounded like…Jareth wasn't in control of what he was doing. So, Stacey's judging him on something he couldn't help doing. How can she say he's not her father if she doesn't even know him?"

"Ah, maybe that's the true problem, Sarah," Daedalus pointed out, glancing over at Stacey sympathetically. "She never got the chance to know him."

As Sarah thought about Daedalus' statement, Toby paused while reading one scrolls, scrunching his face up as he reached an unfamiliar word.

"Sarah?" Toby looked up at his sister. "What does this word mean?" Taking the scroll, Sarah quickly found the word that had stumped the little boy and her eyes widened.

"Stacey?" she called over to her friend, her voice shaking. "You said that…the Underground has been facing an endless winter, and a number of disappearances, right?"

"Yeah, did you find something about it?" Stacey asked hopefully.

"It's…it's the Agnostic," Sarah whispered. Everyone's reactions were instantaneous. As they stared at Sarah in horrified shock, she read the account on the scroll to her friends. "When the Agnostic invaded the Labyrinth, its presence disrupted the very existence of the Underground. Under its assault upon our world, many of the inhabitants of the Labyrinth were erased from existence, and even nature itself became warped."

"This is not good," Daedalus clicked his beak in worry. "If the Agnostic really _has_ returned to the Labyrinth, we truly are in serious danger."

"But how did you beat it back then?" Toby asked in curiosity.

"It wasn't beaten, Toby," Hoggle replied gravely. "The Agnostic just disappeared, after Stacey was taken into your world as a baby."

"Then why is it back now?" Prometheus questioned. "After all this time, it could have come back earlier. It's been over twenty years since the last time. Why now?"

"Because…I came back to the Goblin City!" Stacey gasped in realization. "It's the only explanation! It wants _me_!"

"With all due respect, your majesty, that's just ridicu…" Sir Didymus started to dismiss Stacey's fears, but Daedalus cut him off.

"Maybe it's not, Didymus," the owl disagreed. "Last time, the Agnostic was trying to destroy everything in this world."

"And in the game of chess," Stacey continued, "once you capture the King, the game is over. Since…since I'm the closest thing to a king in the Labyrinth now…."

Stacey's words trailed off, as a conflicted look appeared on her face. But before anyone could say anything, her expression shifted to one of determination, as if she'd just made up her mind about something.

"There's only one solution. I have to leave the Underground. If the Agnostic wants me, then my presence here is only jeopardizing everyone. Perhaps, if I leave, the Agnostic will follow after me."

"If...if Stacey wrong?" Ludo asked.

"I'm not, Ludo," Stacey shook her head. "I don't know how, but…somehow, I know that the Agnostic will follow me out of the Underground. If the Labyrinth is to have a chance of being saved, I have to go back to Sarah and Toby's world. At least for a little while. If I do, everyone left in the Labyrinth might be out of danger until I can come up with a better plan in how to deal with the Agnostic properly."

"Ye are returning to the Aboveground?" Sir Didymus spoke in amazement.

"If you're goin' back," Hoggle stood up, "then I'm goin' with you."

"Hoggle, no!" Primrose cried, jumping up to hug him tightly. "Don't go! Please, stay with me! I don't want to stay here without you!"

"Primrose," Hoggle sighed, ushering her away from the group to talk to her in private.

"She's always acting like that," Stacey complained, grumbling in irritation. "You'd think that Primrose could find better things to do with her time than hang all over him like flies on a carcass." Folding her arms, she turned her back on the two dwarfs, making a clear effort to not look in their general direction.

"Ye can count me in on your quest as well, your majesty," Sir Didymus volunteered.

"Ludo come too," Ludo agreed.

"Cu-Chu!" Theseus added with a wide smile.

"I made a promise a long time ago that I'd keep watch over you, Stacey," Daedalus announced. "I see no reason for me to stop now."

"I'd like to go, too!" Prometheus admitted.

"Actually, Prometheus," Stacey shook her head. "I really think you should stay here. Remember, the protective spell around this cottage will only last if someone stays inside. And we need to ensure this cottage remains a safe haven, just in case there is someone else who has lasted this long. Besides, someone needs to help look after Lady Berdine, baby Reynard and Primrose while we're gone. I know you can do it, Prometheus. I trust you with this."

"Well," Prometheus' face deflated, showing his discouragement at not being allowed to come along, "if that's what you think, Stacey, then I won't let you down."

"Thank you, Prometheus," Stacey smiled, patting the Firey's shoulder. "And don't feel bad, okay? When this is over, we'll bring _all_ of you to Sarah and Toby's world as well."

With Stacey's promise, Prometheus' disposition lightened significantly. Moments later, while Sir Didymus was bidding farewell to his wife and infant son, Hoggle rejoined the group, along with a crestfallen Primrose.

"Hoggle's right," she admitted sadly. "I know he has to leave. But…I'll really miss him."

"We'll be back soon, Primrose," Hoggle assured the female dwarf. In response, Primrose threw her arms around him in a tight hug.

"Okay, enough goodbyes," Stacey groaned, bristling with impatience. "The sooner we leave, the sooner we can figure out what to do about the Agnostic."

Pulling himself out of Primrose's embrace, Hoggle joined the group of volunteers around Sarah and Toby. Removing the medallion from her pocket, Sarah made the wish to return to Kent, Ohio. Within moments, the eight friends disappeared from the hut.


	4. Making Arrangements

Somewhere in Kent, Ohio, Stacey, Sarah and the others materialized near the bank of the Cuyahoga River. One by one, the eight friends got to their feet and began looking around.

"Everyone still in one piece?" Stacey asked, turning to the others in concern.

"It looks like everyone's present and accounted for," Sarah noted, smiling over at her other friends from the Underground, who were currently taking in their surroundings.

"So, this is your world, Sarah?" Hoggle asked. "I know we've been to your world once before, but we never saw anythin' beyond your bedroom at your old house in Upper Nyack."

"Whaddya think?" Toby grinned.

"Everything in this kingdom is so green!" Sir Didymus voiced his observations. "But what exactly is yonder garden used for? There are no flowers or plants of any sort." Sarah, Stacey and Toby looked over in the direction Sir Didymus was pointing, seeing instantly what he was talking about.

"That's a baseball field," Sarah realized. "We must be in Fred Fuller Park."

"What baseball?" Ludo asked.

"It's a game that's very popular in this world," Stacey explained. "The point is to hit a fist-sized ball with a ba… with a club, then make a lap around the field before the opposing team…um, I guess it would be easier to explain if there was an actual game going on. Maybe, when this mess with the Agnostic's over with, we can all come back here to catch one. Hey, Daedalus, remember how every July, Wayne and I would come down to watch a game here after a dinner of burgers and lemonade, after which we would go watch the fireworks together?" Daedalus responded with a high whistling cry.

"Oh, dear," Sarah sighed, looking at the owl in sympathy. "We're sorry, Daedalus. We forgot you lose your ability to speak in this world." Daedalus clicked his beak and puffed his feathers, as if to say ' _don't worry about it_.'

"So, what's the plan now?" Hoggle asked.

"Sarah, Momma will be wondering where we are," Toby reminded, lightly tugging on Sarah's arm.

"Oh, that's right," Sarah sighed. "We probably _should_ start making our way home. It's a bit of a walk to the nearest bus stop from here. Our parents might send a search party for us if we're not home by five."

"Um, Sarah, first thing's first," Stacey spoke up. "I really think we should figure out what to do with the guys. Some of them _probably_ won't blend in very easily here."

"What's the problem? We can just pass off Sir Didymus and Thesues as a pair of stuffed toys, and…oh. Ludo." Sarah grimaced as she took in the size and appearance of the yeti.

"Yeah, Ludo," Stacey nodded. "I can't see your parents being very understanding if they see him at your place. And I really don't think him coming with me is a good idea, either. Wayne's house is _way_ too small for him."

"My playhouse!" Toby cried excitedly, looking up at Ludo. "You can stay in my playhouse outside!"

"That's a great idea!" Sarah agreed. "I've seen his playhouse; it's definitely big enough for you to fit comfortably inside."

"Hey, thanks, Toby," Stacey grinned at the young boy.

"What about Sir Hoggle?" Sir Didymus asked.

"Well, I thought it would be a good idea for him to come to Wayne's house with Daedalus and me," Stacey answered. "After all, Wayne and Hoggle are roughly the same height, so I can see Hoggle being comfortable there. That is, if you're okay with that," Hoggle?"

"Of course," Hoggle readily agreed. "I'd be fine with going with you."

"Okay, it's settled," Sarah nodded. "Ludo can stay in Toby's playhouse, Sir Didymus and Theseus will pose as stuffed toys, and Hoggle will go with you to Wayne's place. We'll meet tomorrow to discuss what to do about the Agnostic. I'll give you a phone call later so we can decide on the time and place."

"Sounds like a plan," Stacey agreed.

* * *

Toby carefully moved around the side of the Williams family's house, doing his best to avoid being seen. When he reached the front of the house, he met up with Sarah, who had been waiting behind the hedge with Sir Didymus and Theseus.

"I got Ludo into my playhouse," Toby announced proudly. "I don't think Momma and Daddy saw me."

"That's good," Sarah sighed in relief, passing Theseus over to Toby. "Okay, remember, Sir Didymus. You and Theseus need to pretend to be stuffed toys when our parents are around. That means keep still, and no talking."

"Ye can count on me, my lady," Sir Didymus insisted.

"Cu-Chu!" Theseus smiled in agreement.

Accepting their promises to not give away their true identities, Sarah and Toby made their way up to the front door. Before they opened it, however, Irene stepped out to meet them, looking very cross.

"Sarah, where were you?" she demanded. "You were supposed to be watching Toby while I was shopping."

"I _was_ watching him," Sarah replied, forcing herself not to snap back. "We just went out for a bit. You never said anything about not leaving the house together. And I left a note up on my bed saying I'd be back as soon as possible."

"And where exactly did you go?" Irene questioned with her hands on her hips.

"A friend of mine…called me up," Sarah explained. "I needed to go and help her with something."

" _What_ friend? The only friends you seem to have are the ones from that acting school of yours, and none of them live anywhere near here."

"Sarah's friend came here to visit, Momma," Toby spoke up. "She's only going to be around for a little while before going back home." Irene was quiet for a moment, looking between Sarah and Toby, as if expecting to see any sign that they were lying.

"And what might _those_ be," she asked finally, glancing down at Sir Didymus and Theseus.

"Oh, well, I told my friend all about Toby at school," Sarah stated. "She liked hearing about him so much; she brought these toys for him as a present." Irene still looked skeptical, but soon decided to accept their story.

"All right then," she sighed in a long-suffering way. "Just as long as you don't go anywhere else. I'll expect both of you to be here for dinner."

* * *

A short time later, a PARTA bus stopped at one of the scheduled stops, allowing Stacey and Hoggle to get off. Daedalus, knowing it would draw unwanted attention if he'd gotten on the bus with the others, had chosen to fly to Wayne's home instead. After the bus drove off, Stacey and Hoggle walked past the houses in silence, but when they reached Wayne's place, Stacey stopped in her tracks. For a long moment, she took in the sight of the one story house. Even though it had been two years since she'd been here, it looked exactly the same as she remembered it, complete with the old white ash tree standing in the front yard. The same ash tree where Wayne had found her as a baby.

"Stacey?" Hoggle looked up at her in concern. "What's wrong?"

"I can't do this," Stacey turned away, looking extremely guilty. "I…I haven't seen Wayne in two years. And the last thing I ever said to him was…that I was spending the night at Sarah's place. I told him that I'd see him tomorrow. But that was the night Sarah and I came to the Underground.

"Wayne was the one who raised me since I was a baby. And I thanked him by completely disappearing from this world. I didn't even say goodbye. I as good as abandoned him, Hoggle. How can I…how can I look him in the eye now?"

For a long moment, Hoggle simply looked at his friend before offering his encouragement.

"Stacey, it'll be alright," he assured. "I remember everythin' you told us about Wayne. I don't think he'll be angry with you at all. If anythin', he'll just be happy to see you again." When Stacey didn't show any sign of accepting what he was saying, Hoggle reached out and took her hand, giving it a supporting squeeze.

"It'll be alright," Hoggle repeated. "I'll be right there with you." With these words, Stacey turned to Hoggle with a grateful smile.

"Thank you, Hoggle," she sighed. "What would I do without you?" Hoggle returned the smile and continued to hold her hand as they stepped up to the front door. Hesitating only a moment longer, Stacey reached out and knocked, but no one came to answer the door.

"Maybe he's not home?" Hoggle guessed as Stacey tested the door handle and found that the door was locked.

"Maybe," Stacey nodded, slightly crestfallen. Turning away, Stacey crouched down next to a flowerpot that was positioned by the door. Lifting it up, she revealed a small house key taped to the bottom of the flowerpot.

"Wayne always keeps a spare key here," Stacey explained, slipping the key into the lock. "He's been known to forget his key on the kitchen table from time to time." Very slowly, she pushed open the door and hesitantly stepped into the house, motioning for Hoggle to come in after her.

Everything in the house was exactly the same as Stacey remembered it. The framed painting of blue jays still hung over the hall table where a cache pot filled with various odds and ends was positioned, and Wayne's old black umbrella was propped up in the corner by the door, where it always was.

"Two years," Stacey muttered, taking everything in. "He hasn't changed anything in two years. It's like I never left."

"How long do you think it will take before Wayne comes back?" Hoggle asked.

"I don't know," Stacey bit her lip. "But…I wonder…"

Without another word, Stacey walked into the door that led to the fully furnished kitchen. Affixed to the Whirlpool refrigerator was a stick calendar, which Stacey took a moment to examine.

"Yeah, I thought so. Today is Saturday."

"Is that important?"

"It explains why Wayne's not home. Saturdays are when Wayne drives out to the lumber yard to purchase more wood for his latest jobs. He always makes it a full day outing, so he probably won't be back until very late tonight.

"Well, I guess that means we'll be on our own for dinner tonight," Stacey smiled down at Hoggle. "Do you have any ideas as to what you'd like to eat?"

"You know that you have a better idea of what kind of food exists in this world," Hoggle pointed out.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Stacey chuckled, opening the refrigerator door to see what was inside. "Hmmm, doesn't look like we have much of anything. Just a bunch of condiments, some milk…that expired last week, and a jar of spaghetti sauce…ugh, there's mold growing in this jar! When was the last time Wayne cleaned this thing out?"

"So there's nothing to eat here?" Hoggle glanced into the bare refrigerator.

"I guess not. The only thing that looks remotely edible is this." Reaching into the refrigerator, Stacey pulled out a Coke can, which she promptly opened and began drinking.

"Could I try some of that?" Hoggle asked, looking at the can in curiosity.

"Mmmm," Stacey pursed her lips as she glanced into the can of soda through the small opening. "Sorry, I just finished it. If you wanted some, you should have said so earlier."

"You…drank it all?" Hoggle gaped. In response, Stacey started beaming down at the dwarf.

"I'm only kidding, Hoggle," she laughed, passing the can over to him. "Did you really think I'd forget about you?" However, as Hoggle gratefully accepted the drink with a small smile on his face, Stacey grew a bit more serious. "Well, I guess there's nothing else for it. We're going to have to head out again to the store to get something for dinner. I wonder if the local Safeway is still open. Who knows how much has changed in this town since I left."

"I take it that's what you call your marketplace?"

"You could call it that," Stacey chuckled. "I just hope Wayne will forgive me for taking a few twenties out of the emergency fund box."

As Stacey spoke, she opened up the cabinet beneath the kitchen sick and moved the wastebasket aside to reach the rust covered cash box that had been stored back there. Hoggle watched in interest as she unlocked the cash box with the key that was hidden in the drawer that stored the silverware and lifted up the lid, revealing a reasonable amount of money.

"So, this is the currency you use in this world," the dwarf mused, studying the bills as Stacey pulled some out.

"Yeah, I guess using paper money _does_ seem a bit strange compared to the coins and bartering system utilized in the Underground," Stacey acknowledged. "If you think that's something, wait until you see our version of the marketplace."

* * *

 **AN:** Kind of a filler chapter, but the plot will pick up again very soon.


	5. Nightmare

Hours later, Sarah and Toby had joined Robert and Irene at the dinner table, eating the casserole Irene had made.

"So, Sarah," Robert began, wanting to make conversation. "Irene said you were with a friend this afternoon."

"Yeah, I was," Sarah replied. "She needed my help today, so I had to go down and see what I could do. We were planning on meeting tomorrow, too."

"And who is going to watch Toby?" Irene spoke up. "You know my canasta team is meeting tomorrow."

"I'm taking Toby with me, of course," Sarah said, forcing herself not to snap. "My friend likes Toby a lot. She doesn't mind me taking him along."

"Which friend is this, anyway?" Robert asked.

"Stacey," Toby chimed in, grinning widely.

" _Toby!_ " Sarah scolded in a low whisper. However, it was too late.

"Wait, _Stacey?_ " Irene cried, her tone filled with annoyance. "You mean that girl who stayed over the night you disappeared for three days?

"It wasn't Stacey's fault that happened," Sarah spoke through clenched teeth. She hadn't forgotten how Irene seemed to blame Stacey for that period of time when she'd been missing from this world, back when they'd gone to the Underground to help stop Jareth's reign of cruelty. Ever since that day, Irene hadn't bothered to hide the fact that she was actually glad Stacey had disappeared from Kent.

"Then what _did_ happen?" Irene demanded. "Because one minute that girl is over for the night, and the next you vanish completely!"

Instead of replying, Sarah got up from the table, taking her plate with her.

"I'm eating the rest of my dinner in my room, thank you," Sarah announced icily. Ignoring Irene's demands to sit back down, Sarah walked out of the dining room stiffly. However, she didn't go straight to her room, secretly making a detour through the kitchen to get more food. A small part of her was grateful that she had an excuse to leave dinner early. It gave her the chance to smuggle some food out for Theseus, Sir Didymus and Ludo, who were all waiting in Toby's playhouse outside.

* * *

Over at Wayne's house, Hoggle was busy wiping down the tabletop with a damp rag, but he paused momentarily to spare a glance at Stacey, who was washing the dinner plates in the kitchen sink. He couldn't fight the smile upon thinking back over the last few hours.

The indoor market had proved to be quite the experience, and even now, he was amazed at how many food options people had in this world. So much so, he wondered how people were able to make a decision on what to eat each day. Regardless, they'd ended up settling on a dinner of roasted chicken and red potatoes, with a side of and peas and carrots. Stacey had taken care of doing the actual cooking, as she was the one who was familiar with operating the stove and oven, but they had worked together to prepare the meal, with Stacey cleaning and seasoning the chicken and Hoggle slicing the potatoes and carrots. And, as their dinner had been cooking, Stacey had brought out a thin disk-shaped object she'd called a record, which turned out to be something that played music. She had said that the music on the record was sung by a musical duo known as Simon and Garfunkel, and that she had grown up listening to their music. They'd ended up listening to the record during dinner, and Hoggle remembered his surprise at hearing that one of the songs was _'Bridge Over Troubled Water_ ', the same song Stacey had taught him shortly after they'd first met.

As they continued to clean up from their meal, they listened to the weather report on a radio that had been placed on the kitchen counter. According to the report, a sudden cold front was moving into Kent that night, and there would be a huge thunderstorm starting in a few hours.

"I wonder if Wayne's going to make it home alright," Stacey sighed, her worry evident on her face as she glanced out the nearby window.

"Stacey, I'm sure he'll be okay," Hoggle assured, pausing in his task of wiping down the tabletop. "If it gets too bad for him out there, he'd probably find an inn somewhere." Daedalus, who had been drinking from his old water dish nearby, hopped up to Stacey's shoulder, where he lightly tugged on a lock of her hair. In response, Stacey stroked the small owl's head with a finger, realizing that he was trying to agree with Hoggle.

"Thanks, you two," Stacey smiled at her friends. "I guess you're right. Anyway, would you enjoy a tour of Wayne's place, Hoggle? After all, until this whole mess with the Agnostic's over, it's as good as your place, too."

"I'd like that," Hoggle agreed, smiling back at her. Grinning widely, Stacey began to show Hoggle around the house.

* * *

Across town, Sarah was in the process of clearing out her sock drawer while Sir Didymus stood by her side, watching her work.

"I'm sorry that I can't offer you anything more comfortable than this," Sarah apologized to the fox, placing a spare dishtowel into the improvised bed. "I never played with dolls that much when I was little, so I don't have a doll bed stashed away somewhere."

"I thank ye for your consideration, Lady Sarah," Sir Didymus gave a respectful nod of gratitude.

At that moment, a distant rumble of thunder was heard, announcing the storm was beginning to approach. Instantly, Sir Didymus turned to the window, leaping up onto the windowsill with one jump. It only took a second for Sarah to guess what was on his mind.

"That's right," Sarah winced in guilt. "Ludo's out in Toby's playhouse right now. That storm's probably going to scare him tonight."

"Lady Sarah," Sir Didymus turned back to her, "I am very grateful you went through the trouble of fashioning me a place to rest my head tonight. But I am afraid that I cannot abandon my brother when he is in need."

"That's okay, Sir Didymus," Sarah smiled, picking him up in her arms. "I understand completely. In fact, if it wasn't for the fact that it would lead to too many questions from my dad and stepmother, I would go out to stay with him during this storm, too."

After checking the hallway, making sure the coast was clear, Sarah carefully snuck back downstairs, being extra careful to not make any noise that would alert her parents. Before long, she reached the back door. Placing Sir Didymus back on the ground, she opened the door wide enough for the small fox to slip through.

"Good night, Didymus," Sarah whispered after him as Sir Didymus headed off to join Ludo in the playhouse.

Closing the back door again with a smile, Sarah turned and started to go back upstairs. As she made her way back to her room, she passed by Toby's bedroom door, which had been left open a crack. From inside his bedroom, Sarah could hear Toby laughing about something. Peering in, she saw that Toby was sitting up in bed, dangling a ribbon in front of Theseus, who was batting at it in a cat-like way.

"Toby," Sarah whispered, stepping into the room. "It's late. You better get to sleep before Mother finds out you're still up, okay?"

"Okay, Sarah," Toby replied, obediently lying back onto his pillow. Theseus, calming down instantly, went and curled up at the foot of Toby's bed. After tucking her brother in, Sarah turned and left the room, switching off the light as she went.

"Good night, Toby, Thesus," Sarah called over her shoulder as she closed the door behind her, making sure to leave it open a crack.

"Night, Sarah," Toby's voice called out from behind the door.

* * *

Hoggle sat against the wall in Stacey's small attic room above Wayne's workshop. The room was mostly bare, with a storage bed beneath the window, a dresser filled with clothes, and three shelves filled with books and various owl memorabilia lining an otherwise bare wall. The only other thing within the room was an old birdcage suspended from the ceiling, where Daedalus was currently roosting.

At the moment, the dwarf was flipping through an old photo album that was filled with pictures of Stacey growing up; Stacey at age eight, dressed as an owl for Halloween, a nine-year-old Stacey standing next to Wayne at a beach somewhere (according to the words written beneath the picture, they were at a place called Brady Lake), and yet another picture taken when Stacey was ten, and in the middle of a chess match with someone who he surmised was a member of the Akron Chess Club.

"I see you found that photo album Wayne put together." Hoggle started suddenly at the sound of Stacey's voice as she appeared at his side, wearing a simple cotton nightgown. He hadn't even heard her walking up the ladder to her room after her trip to the bathroom.

"I...I didn't mean to snoop…" Hoggle tried to apologize, setting the book aside.

"You weren't snooping," Stacey shook her head. "I already told you, Hoggle. I have no secrets from you." However, as soon as she said this, Stacey's smile faded.

"What's wrong?" Hoggle asked in concern.

"It's just…seeing this place again," Stacey spoke quietly, looking around the room. "Wayne kept everything in my old room exactly the same. It's just how I left it, that night I was going to spend the night at Sarah's."

"Were you expecting somethin' else?"

"I don't know. Maybe I was thinking, after two years, Wayne would have had everything packed away somewhere, or would have sold everything and started using this room for extra storage."

"It looks like Wayne really cares about you," Hoggle pointed out.

"Yes, I know," Stacey gave an odd twisted smile. "Just makes me feel even worse for abandoning him the way I did."

After a pause, Hoggle reached out to lightly squeeze Stacey's hand in comfort.

"It'll be okay, Stacey," Hoggle assured.

"Yeah," Stacey nodded, still not quite convinced. "Maybe. Anyway, we'd better get to sleep. We'll need to be well rested if we're going to come up with a plan on how to take care of the Agnostic."

Nodding in agreement, Hoggle made his way into the far corner of the room, where he started to curl up for the night.

"Oh, no, Hoggle," Stacey announced, stopping him by placing a hand on his shoulder. "You're staying in my bed. _I'm_ taking the floor."

"What!?" Hoggle gaped at her. "But…that's not right. It's your bed, so…"

"Yes, and _you're_ my guest and friend," Stacey insisted. "I want you to be comfortable here."

"But.."

"Look, I'm going to sleep on the floor no matter what you do, okay?" Stacey took up a tone of finality. "So you might as well take the bed." Hoggle met Stacey's eyes for a moment, recognizing that she was adamant about this.

"Thank you," Hoggle relented, heading back towards Stacey's storage bed. For a brief moment, Stacey smiled after him, lightly touching the faint scar on her right shoulder, the souvenir from her encounter with the Tarasque years ago. But when Hoggle settled down on the bed, Stacey turned off the lights and curled up on the floor, covering up with the spare quilt she'd borrowed from the linin closet.

* * *

The promised storm raged over the town of Kent, with thunder crashing loudly and lightning flashing across the sky. Within Stacey's room, the sound of the howling wind and raindrops pelting relentlessly on the windowpane proved loud enough to wake Hoggle up. Sitting up, it took the dwarf a few seconds to remember where he was. The moment he remembered, his eyes immediately fell upon the dark shadow he knew was Stacey, asleep on the floor.

At the same moment he glanced down at Stacey's sleeping form, a bolt of lightning illuminated the room, making it possible for Hoggle to make out the look on Stacey's face. Even though it was clear she was still sleeping, her expression was restless and filled with anguish. Immediately, Hoggle realized Stacey was having a nightmare, and he quickly climbed off the storage bed to kneel at her side.

"Stacey?" Hoggle spoke urgently, trying to shake her awake. "Stacey, wake up."

* * *

 _The sky over the Labyrinth was completely darkened by clouds, making it difficult to tell if it was day or night. The ominous sounds of thunder rang through the air, but not a single drop of rain ever fell. Atop the Castle beyond the Goblin City, Jarerth stood alone, glaring at the dark storm clouds in intense fury. After a moment or two, an unidentifiable form materialized out of the storm clouds. Instantly, Jareth and the indistinct form were completely shrouded in darkness. However, Jareth showed no reaction to the darkness that was now surrounding him, and began to shout out in anger._

 _"Agnostic!" he cried, rage filling his every syllable. "You've laid siege to my home and my family, destroying everything that crossed your path, and I will not allow it. I swear to you I will_ not _rest until I see you destroyed as well."_

 _In response to Jareth's vow, a low, cruel laugh seemed to come from every possible direction, followed by a voice that was indubitably evil. There was no doubt that this was the voice of the Agnostic._

 _"_ _ **You**_ _, Goblin King? You do not have the power or the means to stop me. The only one who has that power is the child your precious Susan cares for the most. But now, thanks to you and the fears that fill your mind, I know right where to find her."_

 _As the Agnostic completed its statement, a pair of red and yellow eyes pieced through the darkness; eyes more terrible than anyone could ever imagine_.

* * *

Stacey sat up in a flash, her scream escaping from her lips before she could stop it.

"Stacey!" Hoggle cried urgently, grasping her arm carefully. "Stacey, it's okay! It was just a nightmare!"

"Hoggle?" Stacey turned to the dwarf in shock, fear-induced sweat coating her forehead.

"You're okay, Stacey," Hoggle repeated, keeping his voice calm for her benefit. "Whatever your nightmare was about, it's all over. You're safe now."

Stacey took a moment to try and steady her heavy breathing, but to no avail. Instead, she moved forward and pulled Hoggle into a tight hug. At first, the dwarf was too surprised by the unexpected embrace to do anything, but as his shock wore away, he reached out to pat Stacey's back in comfort.


	6. Reunions and Discoveries

In the morning, Stacey slowly made her way to the kitchen, with Hoggle following close behind her. As she neared the entrance to the kitchen, however, Stacey stopped and ducked behind the doorframe to peek in cautiously. As she'd suspected, Wayne was sitting alone at the kitchen table, staring morosely at a fresh mug of coffee.

For a long moment, Stacey studied Wayne's face, her guilt growing stronger every second. His appearance had changed noticeably in the past two years. He looked much older now; his blond hair was beginning to turn to a grayish white, and a pair of bifocals was perched on the bridge of his nose. But all of that paled next to the expression on his face. Stacey flinched as she looked away, unable to stand how lost Wayne looked. His face vividly showed how much her disappearance had hurt him.

Wordlessly, Hoggle placed a supporting hand against Stacey's arm. Upon feeling his touch, Stacey immediately met his eyes.

"How could I do this to him?" Stacey whispered. "I abandoned him, Hoggle. He's been completely alone all this time. I didn't even say goodbye."

"I know," Hoggle replied in comfort. "So imagine how happy he'll be to see you now." Stacey took a shaky breath, but still didn't move. "Stacey, it'll be all right. He's been waitin' two years to see you. Are you goin' to make him wait any longer?"

Hoggle's question seemed to strengthen her resolve. After taking a steadying breath, she stepped out into the kitchen, facing Wayne nervously.

"Wayne?" Stacey spoke softly, announcing her presence. Slowly, Wayne lifted his head, gazing at Stacey with wide eyes.

For the longest moment, they simply stared at one another, but then Stacey stepped up to Wayne's side, dropping to her knees so they'd be at the same height.

"Wayne, I'm so sorry," she began. "I know I hurt you when I left, and for that, I am so, so sorry. I know that's not enough, but…" Stacey never got the chance to finish her apology, for Wayne suddenly lurched forward, pulling her into a tight hug.

"Stacey," Wayne barely choked back an emotional sob. "I knew you'd come home one day." Stacey crumbled in a heartbeat and returned the embrace, fresh tears falling down her cheek.

"Oh, Wayne," she cried. "I missed you so much."

Out in the other room, Hoggle stood by quietly, listening to the reunion for a minute or two. After a while, he turned and began returning to Wayne's workshop, wanting to give Stacey and Wayne the chance to continue their reunion in private.

* * *

The Williams' family house was mostly deserted. Robert had already left for work and Irene had gone out to meet with her canasta team. Their absence granted Sir Didymus and Theseus the freedom to watch a program on the family television with no fear of being discovered. As the pair sat in front of the TV screen, visibly fascinated with the moving pictures, Sarah moved about the kitchen, getting ready to leave and pausing only long enough to watch Toby cross the backyard and enter his clubhouse in order to bring Ludo something for breakfast.

Sarah and the others were supposed to meet Stacey, Hoggle and Daedalus at the park in about one hour. Since no one had any idea how long it would take for them to come up with a plan about how to defeat the Agnostic, Sarah felt that it would be a good idea to bring along some sandwiches for lunch.

Just as Sarah finished packing up the sandwiches, the wall-mounted phone rang. Wondering who would be calling now, Sarah promptly answered it.

"Hello?" Sarah greeted slowly.

"Sarah?" Sarah's jaw dropped for just an instant upon hearing Hoggle's voice on the other end.

" _Hoggle?_ " she cried in shock. Out of the corner of her eye, Sarah saw Sir Didymus and Theseus looking up in equal surprise. "You can use a phone?"

"Not exactly," Hoggle replied. "Daedalus did most of the work. It's a good thin' he's so familiar with this world. Anyway, Sarah, I wanted you to know that Stacey and I can't make the meetin' today."

"Why? Did something happen?" Sarah asked in concern.

"No, not really. It's just that Stacey just saw Wayne again, for the first time since she came to the Underground. I thought that…she might want the chance to catch up with him. I might never have met Wayne myself, but I can tell he means a lot to Stacey, and that she's missed him. And if you saw the look on his face when he saw her today…"

"It's okay, Hoggle," Sarah irrupted. "I understand. Tell Stacey not to worry. We'll postpone our meeting until tomorrow."

"Thank you, Sarah." Hoggle's smile was evident in his tone. "I'm sure Stacey will appreciate it."

* * *

Once the call had ended, Hoggle glanced down at Daedalus in a silent question. The tiny owl clicked his beak and gestured to the phone cradle with his wing. Catching on to the silent instruction, Hoggle hung up the phone.

"So," Hoggle blinked. "That's how…people talk to each other in this world." Daedalus responded with a high whistling cry.

At that moment, Hoggle froze in shock at the sound of footsteps coming closer, indicating that someone was coming into Wayne's workshop. The dwarf only had enough time to duck behind the workbench before the workshop door opened. Fearful of being discovered by Wayne, Hoggle held his breath for a moment, but relaxed instantly when the person entering the workshop spoke.

"Hoggle?" Stacey's voice called in a loud whisper. "Hoggle, it's okay. It's just me."

"I thought Wayne was about to discover me," Hoggle sighed in relief, abandoning his hiding place to sit on an overturned crate.

"Yeah, I figured you would," Stacey nodded, smiling at the dwarf almost instinctively. "Sorry if I scared you. But still, thanks for remembering what I said before. It's probably best if Wayne didn't know you were here. I don't think he'd be able to understand." After a moment, Stacey's smile faded and was replaced by an expression of inner pain and turmoil. "Still, I… I wish there was an easy way to explain to him…when we have to go back. He won't admit it, but…I can tell he's been so lonely after I left. I'm afraid he might think I'm back for good now. Oh, maybe it was a mistake for me to let him see me again. When we go back home, it'll _kill_ him."

"I know," Hoggle bowed his head in sympathetic understanding. "That's why I called Sarah and told her we weren't going to meet with her today like we planned."

"You _what_?" Stacey's jaw dropped. "Hoggle, why…how…wait, you used a phone?"

"Daedalus showed me how," Hoggle explained. "Believe it or not, he's very good at gettin' points across without speakin'."

"Really?" Stacey gaped at the owl for a second before remembering what she wanted to say. "But Hoggle, why did you tell Sarah we weren't meeting with her today? Did you forget the Agnostic? We came here to come up with a plan to stop it. I'm the Goblin Queen now. It's my responsibility to prevent the Labyrinth from being destroyed. I can't just push that responsibility aside for something _I_ want to do."

"Stacey," Hoggle spoke gently, "you have nothin' to feel bad about. You and Wayne haven't seen each other in years. We all understand you need to spend at least one day with him." Stacey shook her head, her eyes still wide in disbelief and indecision.

"But…we came here to…" Stacey argued.

"That projective barrier will hold, won't it?" Hoggle pointed out, smiling at her. "As long as it remains standin', Primrose, Lady Berdine, Reynard and Prometheus should be safe. Stacey, just believe me on this one. _No one_ thinks any less of you for wantin' to spend time with Wayne. He is your family, after all. While it's true you have responsibilities in our world, you also have a responsibility to Wayne."

Stacey looked away, the conflict visible on her face. After a full minute of her not saying anything, Hoggle got up and, after a moment's hesitation, gave her hand a quick squeeze.

"Stacey, take one day to spend time with Wayne," he urged. "You said yourself that he was lonely with you gone. I know you hate hurtin' him, and he'll enjoy havin' at least this one last time with you. Maybe…you can use today to give him the goodbye you weren't able to give him last time. I'm sure you'd both be happier partin' on a high note this time."

"Hoggle," Stacey's voice shook as a tear slid down her cheek. "I know you might not think so sometimes, but…you're a true friend."

* * *

Wayne moved about the living room cheerfully, cleaning up from breakfast. He felt as if his smile was permanently etched on his face. Stacey had come back home again. After two long years, she had returned to him. All this time, he had clung to the belief that she was still alive and that she'd come back one day. Now she had.

For the fifth time that day, Wayne found himself wondering where Stacey had been for the past two years. However, he made an effort to keep himself from asking her. Ever since he had found Stacey as a baby at the base of the ash tree out front, they had never kept secrets from one another. For that reason, he trusted Stacey to tell him herself when she was up to it. Until then, Wayne was fully committed to dedicate the entire day to treasure Stacey's return.

Picking up the morning paper from the kitchen table, he turned right to the day's movie listings, searching for a movie Stacey would be interested in seeing. Wondering if she'd want to go see _Arachnophobia_ , a new horror-comedy film, he started carrying the paper to Stacey's room. As he reached the door that led to his workshop, however, he froze upon hearing two voices. He had no trouble in recognizing Stacey's voice, but the second voice was rough, gravelly and completely unfamiliar.

"Stacey," the strange voice was saying, "you have nothin' to feel bad about. You and Wayne haven't seen each other in years. We all understand you need to spend at least one day with him."

"But…we came here to…" Stacey argued.

"That protective barrier will hold, won't it? As long as it remains standin', Primrose, Lady Berdine, Reynard and Prometheus should be safe. Stacey, just believe me on this one. _No one_ thinks any less of you for wantin' to spend time with Wayne. He is your family, after all. While it's true you have responsibilities in our world, you also have a responsibility to Wayne."

Curiosity finally overpowering him, Wayne quietly pushed the door to his workshop open a tiny crack, just large enough for him to look into his workshop. In doing so, he saw Stacey standing with her back to him. Her attention was focused on a short figure sitting atop an overturned crate. The instant Wayne saw Hoggle, he only just managed to stop his gasp, stumbling backwards in his shock.

How could this be _possible_? Not here! Not now! He came to Kent, Ohio to get _away_ from that world, and all the reminders of it. But now, here in his own home, was a real….

Wayne could not bring himself to even think the world. What was even more shocking was that Stacey clearly had a conscious knowledge of that other world as well, since she was speaking to him so casually. Did that mean…was _that_ where she'd been all this time? Didn't that world _ever_ tire of taking people he loved from him? But…if she was back now, did that mean…?

Wayne forced himself to breathe deeply. He didn't know anything yet. Jumping to conclusions like this wouldn't help anyone. Instead, he concentrated solely upon concealing his conflicting emotions with a mask of happiness. For now, he had to focus on the fact that Stacey had come home, and they could spend the entire day together. For now, that was all that mattered. He would enjoy this day with her. For Stacey, he'd be able to set aside all his fears and worries. At least until tomorrow. Tomorrow, he would be able to ask.


	7. Secrets

Hoggle sat quietly on Stacey's old storage bed, simply gazing out the window watching the birds flit around the yard. He managed to tear his eyes away when he heard the sound of Stacey climbing up the ladder to enter the room.

"Hey," Stacey greeted the moment she saw him, handing him a small paper bag as she joined him on the bed. "I managed to save you a whole wheat bagel from breakfast. I hope you like it."

"Thank you," Hoggle accepted the food gratefully, acknowledging his empty stomach.

"Hoggle?" Stacey began as Hoggle started to eat his breakfast. "I…want to thank you again for yesterday. It was nice spending time with Wayne, and I'm sure he liked it, too."

"Of course," Hoggle smiled. "Wayne's your family. You both needed a day for yourselves."

"Yeah, I guess we did. Still, I suppose we really need to meet with Sarah and the others today. As nice as it is seeing Wayne, we can't pretend that we don't have a job to do here, and that's trying to figure out what to do about the Agnostic."

"I guess you're right," Hoggle agreed. "And…I think we should tell them about that nightmare you had, about Jareth challenging the Agnostic."

"Why?" Stacey gaped. "It…it was just a dream."

"But in the dream, you said the Agnostic mentioned someone who had the power to stop it," Hoggle pointed out. "Maybe…your dream was giving us a hint about how we can beat the Agnostic for good."

"Hmmm. You might be right," Stacey agreed after thinking about it. "All right, we'll see what the others have to say about it. Now …I guess I'd better go and tell Wayne that I'm going out for a bit. How about you wait for me outside, by the old ash tree?"

"I'll be there," Hoggle nodded before watching Stacey head back down the ladder.

* * *

In the kitchen, Wayne was just finishing up with the task of washing the breakfast dishes. Upon looking up, he saw Stacey watching him from the doorway.

"Thanks for the bagels, Wayne," Stacey smiled. "They were really good."

"I'm glad you liked them," Wayne returned the smile half-heartedly, forcing himself to not simply blurt out the questions that had plagued his mind since he'd first seen Stacey talking to the dwarf in his workshop. "It's so good to have you home again."

"It's good to be back," Stacey agreed. However, her smile dropped ever so slightly as she spoke, and Wayne realized that he'd only been able to notice the tiny change because he knew her so well.

"Um…Wayne?" Stacey continued, sounding suddenly nervous and awkward. "I was going to…head out for a little while. I…I was planning on…meeting with some…friends. Is…is that all right?"

"Yes, I…that will be fine," Wayne agreed, turning away so Stacey wouldn't see the look in his eyes. "Be sure to have fun, all right?"

As much as he tried not to, he couldn't stop himself from thinking about the last time Stacey had told him she was going to be spending time with someone, back when Sarah had invited her to spend the night. That time, she hadn't come home.

"Yeah, I will," Stacey replied. For a full minute, Stacey and Wayne simply stood where they were, neither one moving or saying a word. It was Stacey who broke the silence.

"Okay. I…I'll see you later then," Stacey timidly waved, backing out of the kitchen. However, just before she stepped out of sight, she turned back around. "Wayne?" Instantly, Wayne turned and finally met her eyes. "I _will_ be back by dinner at the latest, okay?"

"Okay," Wayne agreed, feeling slightly better, seeing the honesty in Stacey's face. "I'll see you by dinner, at the latest." Once again, Stacey gave Wayne a smile, but this time, he was truly able to return it.

* * *

At the Williams' home, Irene was busy with doing the laundry, but as she started transferring the wet clothes from the washer to the dryer, she heard the sounds of someone rummaging around in the kitchen. Momentarily abandoning her task, she stepped into the kitchen in time to see Toby trying to sneak out into the backyard with an entire box of fruit snacks.

"Toby!" Irene scolded. "You better not be planning to eat all of those fruit snacks! You just had breakfast two hours ago!"

"No, Mommy," Toby shook his head. "We were gonna share them."

"Share them?" Irene repeated incredulously. "And who's ' _we'_?" Without waiting for an answer, Irene looked out into the backyard, her eyes falling on Toby's playhouse. Through the playhouse window, she could make out Sarah talking with a young blonde girl, both with serious expressions on their faces. It took Irene a few seconds to truly recognize the blonde girl, but the moment she did, her body stiffened.

"Oh, no," Irene shook her head, growing angry. " _Absolutely not_."

With that, Irene stepped outside and crossed the yard, loudly knocking on the playhouse door.

"Sarah, get out here now!" After a few seconds, the door opened and Sarah squeezed out, making an obvious effort to keep the door from opening completely, preventing Irene from seeing too much of the playhouse interior.

"Yes, Mother?" Sarah spoke with an annoyed frown.

"I would like to know what you are doing out here," Irene replied. "There is a lot of work to do around the house, and I do not appreciate you lying around doing absolutely nothing while I do everything. You have five minutes to say goodbye to any friends you might be hiding in there, and then I expect you and Toby inside the house to give me a hand."

Sarah could barely keep herself from glaring at Irene. Yes, Irene was her stepmother, but she was also an adult now, and therefore, she had no right to order her around like this. What made Sarah even angrier was that she knew exactly why Irene was acting like this. It was glaringly obvious that she'd seen her talking with Stacey and chose to butt in.

Sarah was about to call Irene out when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Glancing out of the corner of her eye, Sarah saw Stacey giving her a quick nod of understanding.

"I'll be right in, Mother," Sarah replied stiffly.

Once Irene had gone back inside the house, Sarah turned to Stacey and the others incredulously.

"I can't _believe_ her! The only reason why she's making me go inside is because she must have seen _you_ , Stacey! She still blames you for how I disappeared from my room the night we went to the Underground. It's ridiculous, because that wasn't your fault."

"Sarah, it's not important," Stacey replied. "Maybe you should try seeing things from her perspective. After all, one minute, I'm invited to your house to spend the night, and the next, you just disappear for four whole days. It's only natural that she'd pick me as a scapegoat. All she knew about me was that I was a girl from your school, and that we'd only met that afternoon. Any parent, stepparent or not, would be distrustful after that."

"Yeah, okay," Sarah relented, seeing Stacey's reasoning. "But what about the problem with the Agnostic? If my stepmother keeps trying to prevent me from spending time with you, how are we going to figure out how to defeat it? I mean, that dream you told us about made it clear that _you_ were the one who could stop it, but how are you supposed to do that?"

"Wait, my lady," Sir Didymus spoke up. "What do ye mean by Stacey being able to stop it?"

"Well, in Stacey's dream," Sarah explained, "the Agnostic said that the only one who has the power to stop it is ' _the child Susan cared for the most._ ' What other child would Susan care for other than her own? That means that Stacey's supposed to be the one to do it."

"The real question is how I'm supposed to do that," Stacey wondered.

"I don't know," Sarah shrugged. "Which is why I'm so mad that we were interrupted before we could figure it out."

"It's okay, Sarah." Hoggle assured her. "Just because we're not openly discussing it, we can still spend the day thinking the problem over."

For a brief second, Stacey glanced over at her friend, hearing something in his tone that she couldn't identify, but the sudden sound of Irene shouting for Sarah from inside the house kept her from asking him what was wrong.

"I'm really sorry, everyone," Sarah sighed heavily, backing out of the playhouse.

"Don't worry about it," Stacey repeated. "We'll meet together tomorrow. But it might be better if we meet in the park next time so your stepmother doesn't have a chance to step in."

"Sounds good," Sarah agreed. "And if she asks, I'll just tell her Toby and I are going there for a picnic lunch."

"In the meantime," Stacey turned to the boys once Sarah had left to help Irene around the house, "how would you guys like a tour of Kent?"

"I thought we weren't supposed to let the townsfolk see us," Sir Didymus pointed out. "Lady Sarah said it would lead to too many questions."

"And she was right," Stacey agreed. "But when I was out with Wayne yesterday, I heard that there was a Renaissance Fair in a nearby town today. We can always just tell people that we were heading there and just stopped in Kent for a bit."

"Renaissance?" Ludo cocked his head in confusion.

"Simply put, it's a festival that's intended to recreate how life in England was roughly 300 years ago."

"I am gathering _England_ is the name of a different kingdom in this world." Sir Didymus stated.

"That's one way of putting it. But the general style of clothing that you usually see at the festival isn't too different from what you might see in the Underground. So it should be easy to convince people we're headed there."

* * *

About half an hour later, the friends were all resting their feet outside a local ice cream shop, with the exception of Daedalus. He had chosen to stay behind, wisely knowing that the sight of an owl in broad daylight would lead to too many questions. Everyone present were busy admiring the small gifts Stacey had gotten them from a local toy store. Ludo had received a rock-shaped bouncy ball while Sir Didymus was testing out his child-sized knight set. Theseus was completely fascinated with a small kaleidoscope and Hoggle was inspecting his plastic heart-shaped key ring with a soft smile on his face.

As they admired their presents, Stacey exited the ice cream shop, carrying four cones and one dish of ice cream.

"So then, seeing as how none of you have ever _had_ ice cream before, I had to guess which flavors you'd like the most," Stacey explained. "First off, Theseus, I heard from Sarah and Toby that you were…quite amazed by the peanut butter sandwich they fed you last night."

"Amazed does not cover it," Sir Didymus shook his head, smiling at the gremlin. "The little vassal went completely crazy, bouncing around the room."

"Anyway," Stacey continued, stifling a chuckle at Sir Didymus' response, "I figured that you would also enjoy trying a peanut butter cup sundae."

"CU-CU-CHU!" Theseus squealed in excitement, practically diving face first into the dish of ice cream once Stacey set it down for him. Holding back a second laugh, Stacey went on.

"Ludo, I got you the Rocky Road. And no, there's not actually rocks in it. They just call it rocky road."

"Thank you," Ludo gave her a wide smile.

"As for you, Sir Didymus, I racked my brains trying to decide what flavor would be most fitting for you. After a while, I realized that only someone who was as brave as you would have no trouble with cinnamon coconut almond."

"I'm sure your judgment was sound," Sir Didymus accepted his cone with a respectful nod. Barely fighting the urge to roll her eyes at the fox's formality, Stacey turned and took a seat next to Hoggle, passing him one of the two remaining cones, which was identical to the one she kept.

"Hoggle, I'm sorry to say that none of the flavors they had called out to me when I thought about you, so I got you butter pecan because…well, it's my favorite flavor, and I hoped you would enjoy it as well."

"Thank you, Stacey," Hoggle replied gratefully.

The five friends fell into a silence as they began to enjoy their ice cream, until Ludo, upon finishing his, decided to try out his rock-shaped bouncy ball. Unfortunately, the ball bounced off the pavement at an angle and ended up hitting Sir Didymus' nose.

"OW!" Sir Didymus cried out, rubbing his nose.

As Theseus saw his chance to pounce on the bouncy ball and bat it around, just like a cat with a catnip mouse, Sir Didymus, began to admonish Ludo for not warning him before using his toy. From their spot on sidewalk curb, Stacey and Hoggle watched their friends in amusement.

"I never thought I'd ever experience something like this," Stacey sighed to herself.

"Somethin' like what?" Hoggle asked, turning to her.

"Just… _this_. Sitting around and simply enjoying being around other people. Never had a life like that before I met you guys. It feels great. So…thank you for that, Hoggle."

"I didn't do anythin'," Hoggle stated, shaking his head.

"Yes, you did, Hoggle," Stacey insisted. "Before I met you, I was alone. I didn't have any friends, apart from Daedalus. I kept telling myself I didn't _want_ friends because I was convinced that I'd just get hurt again. So, I built up a wall around me, and wouldn't let anyone get close to me. But then, I came to the Underground with Sarah, and after that incident with the Tarasque…. Hoggle, you stayed up through most of the night just to look after me. Up 'til then, only Wayne would have done that. But you did, even though I'd been mean to you, calling you Dwarf and refusing to even use your name. I'd done nothing to earn your concern, but you still were there to help me. I don't think you'll ever know how much that meant to me. On that night, you helped restore my faith in friendship. You made me a better person, Hoggle. For that, I'll _always_ be grateful for you. Thank you, Hoggle."

Stunned by her confession, Hoggle looked away until he felt Stacey softly place her hand on her shoulder. At her touch, he looked back, meeting her eyes.

"Hey, girls!" a sudden voice suddenly spoke. "Check _this_ out!" Immediately, Stacey's body stiffened, and a furious look appeared on her face.

"Oh, no," she hissed, slowly turning her head to face the three girls who'd appeared nearby. Phoebe, Quinn, and Rosabel.

"Well, what do you know?" Phoebe smirked. "I thought she was gone for good. And look who's back! The parentless freak. Still seeing trolls in your bedroom closet, Stacey?"

Clenching her teeth, Stacey's hand closed into a fist. But instead of responding to the taunt, she simply stood back up, keeping her back to the girls who'd once bullied her.

"Come on, guys," Stacey announced, bending down to scoop Theseus up. "Let's go."

"Are ye just going to let those knaves speak to you like that?" Sir Didymus asked in shock as Ludo helped the fox up onto his shoulder. "Ye are the Goblin Quee…"

"Not here, I'm not," Stacey replied in a low voice, shooting him a warning look.

"Well," Quinn spoke up, eying Ludo's massive form. "Looks like ol' Stacey's got herself some equally freaky friends. Hey, Bigfoot! Halloween's over already."

"Ignore them, Ludo," Stacey instructed, reaching out to pat Ludo's arm. "They're not worth it." Without another word, Stacey began to lead her friends away. Unfortunately, she wasn't quick enough. Refusing to let Stacey off so easily, Rosabel strode forward, reaching out and snatching Hoggle's jewels from his belt.

"Those are mine!" Hoggle cried, spinning around.

"Well, then," Rosabel taunted, taking note of the fact that Stacey had stopped in her tracks and was now glaring at her. "Come and get them, ugly." Hoggle tried to jump up to get his things back, but the moment his feet retuned to the ground, Rosabel stuck her leg out, tripping the dwarf to the ground.

"Oh, have a nice trip, Shorty?" Quinn teased as all three girls burst out laughing.

That did it. Before anyone could react, Stacey had charged forward, landing a fierce punch to Rosabel's face. The force of the punch sent the red-haired girl to the ground, with Hoggle's jewels flying out of her grasp and into Stacey's waiting hand. Without sparing a glance at Rosabel, who was trying to nurse her bloody nose, Stacey knelt down next to Hoggle, carefully helping him up and returning his jewels to him.

"Are you all right, Hoggle?" she spoke tenderly, seemingly checking him for any scrapes or cuts.

"Yeah," Hoggle nodded. "Thank you, Stacey." Once she was sure Hoggle hadn't been harmed, Stacey cast a venomous glare towards Phoebe.

"Your problem is with _me_ , you _hag_!" Stacey snarled. "Leave my friends out of this!"

For a long moment, Stacey and Phoebe glowered at one another, but then Phoebe turned around.

"Come on, girls," she spoke to Rosabel and Quinn. "We've got better things to do than waste our time with these freaks."

"I really hate those three," Stacy muttered as the three girls walked off, with Rosabel holding a tissue to her nose to try and stop the bleeding.

* * *

"You're not serious!" Sarah cried over the phone. "I can't believe they actually did that!"

"It was Phoebe and her harpies, Sarah," Stacey commented. "Are you really _that_ surprised?"

About an hour before dinner, Sarah had finally found the chance to call up Stacey to confirm what Ludo and Sir Didymus had told her about their run-in with Phoebe, Quinn and Rosabel that afternoon.

"I guess you have a point," Sarah admitted. "Especially after what they did to you when you were kids. Still, I didn't think you'd run in to them today. Last I heard, they'd all went off to a school on the other side of the country. But I guess they must have come back to visit their parents or something. So…is Hoggle okay? Ludo told me that Rosabel…."

"Yeah, Hoggle's fine," Stacey replied, her face softening as the topic turned away from Phoebe and her friends. "He might have some bruising from being tripped, but it's been a few hours and he's still all right. Anyway, Sarah, can you, Toby and the others still make it to the park tomorrow? Or is your stepmother placing you under house arrest?"

"Don't worry, it won't be a problem," Sarah stated confidently. "My dad already said it was fine for me to take Toby to the park tomorrow. We'll all see you, Hoggle and Daedalus at 11."

Once Stacey and Sarah ended their phone call, Stacey turned to Hoggle, who was once again seated on the storage bed.

"Okay, we're all set for tomorrow," she announced. "We'll be meeting the others at the park in the late morning, and we won't leave until we've at least made some progress in deciding what to do about the Agnostic."

"Yeah," Hoggle nodded, unable to meet Stacey's eyes.

"Hoggle? Is something wrong? It seems like every time we mention the Agnostic, you start acting strange."

"I…I'm just worried," Hoggle confessed. "I'm worried about what could happen."

"Hey, we're _all_ worried about this," Stacey reminded gently. "That's why we're having these meetings. So we can come up with a plan."

"No," Hoggle shook his head. "I meant…I'm worried about what could happen to _you_. What if Sarah's right, and you're the one who's supposed to stop the Agnostic? How are you goin' to do that? Not even Jareth could stop it. And…if you don't fight it the way you're supposed to, you…you might end up gettin' killed."

"Oh, Hoggle," Stacey sighed, crouching down in front of him so their eyes were level. "I admit, I'm unsure of what I'm supposed to do, too. But you've known me for over two years now, haven't you? Do you really think I'd go up against the Agnostic if I didn't have a plan _and_ a backup plan?"

"Stacey," Hoggle spoke in barely a whisper. "You're…you're my friend. You might be the Goblin Queen, but…you're still my friend."

"Yeah," Stacey smiled softly. "And you're mine, too."

"But that's why I can't even _think_ about you fightin' against that thin'. The Agnostic's taken away so many people from the Underground. I…I don't want you to be next."

"Hoggle," Stacey sighed, placing a hand on his shoulder and giving it a comforting squeeze. "I promise you, as a friend. Nothing is going to happen to me. I swear to you I'll take the utmost care. Daedalus, can you back me up here?"

When Hoggle and Stacey glanced over at the owl, who had been perched atop the dresser nearby, they were surprised to find that he was not looking at them. Instead, he was staring with wide eyes over at Wayne, who was standing at the top of the ladder that led up to Stacey's room, wordlessly looking right back at them.


	8. Confessions

"Wayne!" Stacey cried, jumping to her feet. Instinctively, Hoggle tried to back away, but Wayne quickly held up his hand.

"Wait," he beseeched, entering the room completely. "It's okay. You don't have to hide. It's just that…it's been a very long time since I've seen an actual dwarf. I never thought I'd ever see one in person again."

"A...again?" Hoggle gaped, immediately catching on to Wayne's words.

"Yes, again," Wayne confirmed, smiling kindly at Hoggle. "Tell me, you're from the Underground, aren't you?"

"Wayne?" Stacey's jaw dropped. "You _know_ about the Underground?"

"I do," Wayne nodded. "I've known about the Underground for years. Ever since I was young."

"But how?"

"I told you a long time ago, Stacey," Wayne explained. "You remember how I had a younger brother once? I told you that I lost him, but…maybe it's time I told you _how_ I lost him. I was twelve when it happened. Our father was off at work, and our mother had going out shopping for a few hours. So I was left in charge of looking after my little brother. But while our mother was out, my brother ended up breaking one of my favorite records. Even then, I knew it was just an accident, but…I wasn't in a good mood that day. I can't really remember why, though. It was too long ago. But when I saw the broken record…I supposed I just snapped. And…I said something I've regretted ever since."

"You said the words, didn't you?" Hoggle concluded, instantly realizing what Wayne was telling them. "You wished the goblins would take him away…"

"Right now," Wayne nodded sadly. "Yes, that's _exactly_ what I'd said."

"That's what happened to Sarah and Toby, two years before they first moved here," Stacey remembered. "Sarah told me that she'd said those same words when she was babysitting Toby when he was still a baby, and wouldn't stop crying."

"Seeing as how Toby's still around," Wayne stated, "It's clear Sarah was able to save him. I…I wasn't as fortunate. In the end, I was forced to return home without him, burdened with the impossible task of figuring out how to explain to my parents that their youngest son was gone forever, knowing that no one would believe what really happened.

"When my brother disappeared, it tore my family apart. And…knowing that I was responsible for us loosing him was more that I could bear. So when I became old enough, I left my hometown for good and moved here to Kent, wanting to start over and get away from all those memories."

"Wayne, I'm so sorry," Stacey whispered.

"What's done is done," Wayne sighed heavily. "Dwelling on things that cannot be changed won't bring my brother back. Right now, the important thing is what is happening today. Seeing as how you have a dwarf from the Underground here in this room, I take it that that's where you've been all this time. Hasn't it, Stacey?"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Wayne," Stacey bowed her head. "I didn't want to keep things from you. I just didn't know _how_ to explain."

"I know," Wayne nodded in understanding. "It _is_ almost impossible to explain to anyone who hasn't seen proof of the Underground's existence first hand. I am not mad at you for not telling me about this. After all, there was no way you could have known I already knew about that world. But…that doesn't explain why this dwarf has came into this world."

"My name is Hoggle," Hoggle introduced himself. "And my friends and I have come here so we could come up with a plan to save the Underground."

"There's this thing called the Agnostic," Stacey took over for Hoggle. "It's destroying the entire Underground. We returned to this world to try and figure out how to stop it. There's only a few of us left. Everyone else has already become victims of the Agnostic. If we can't stop it soon, the Underground will die."

For a long moment, Wayne was absolutely quiet, seemingly studying Stacey and Hoggle's faces. Finally he spoke.

"Stacey, why don't you go downstairs for a bit? See if we can make a dinner reservation over at Pufferbelly's for three."

"We're going out to eat?" Stacey asked.

"Yes, I think that would be nice, don't you? After all, it _is_ almost dinnertime, and it's clear the three of us have a lot to talk about. It just makes sense to have the three of us talk over dinner."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Stacey agreed. But instead of going off to make the reservation, she cautiously glanced between Hoggle and Wayne, seemingly unsure about leaving them alone together. Noticing this, Wayne chuckled lightly.

"Oh, don't worry about Hoggle, Stacey," he said with a smile. "I was just thinking he'll need a change of clothes. After all, his current attire isn't something you normally see on a daily basis, and it might lead to quite a few unwelcome stares, at best. Since he and I are the same height, I'm sure some of mine will fit him."

"Okay," Stacey nodded. Pausing only one second longer to give Hoggle a supportive smile, she turned and climbed down the ladder.

"Well, then," Wayne turned to Hoggle with a warm smile. "It was Hoggle, was it?"

"Yes, Mr. Faber," Hoggle nodded.

"Oh, none of that," Wayne held back a laugh. "You're obviously a very good friend of Stacey's, so you're free to call me Wayne. I was just wondering if you'd be kind enough to fill me in on what Stacey's been doing for the past few years while we find you something to wear tonight."

"Um…yes, I can do that," Hoggle replied.

* * *

During the hours between dinner and Toby's bedtime, Sarah sat in her room watching a report on the news. Toby, Sir Didymus and Theseus were perched on Sarah's bed, and like Sarah, their concern was etched on their faces as they listened to what had been occurring all over the world. From the sound of it, a great number of cities had been greatly affected by floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, landslides and volcanic eruptions, and all within the past week.

"All these disasters," Sarah spoke softly. "And they all seem to be happening at once. It's like…it's the end of the world or something."

"What's happening, Sarah?" Toby asked, the fear evident in his voice.

"I don't know, Toby," Sarah replied, reaching out to gently rub Toby's back in hopes of calming him.

"I do wonder," Sir Didymus thought out loud. "When I was a young squire, my mother and father would tell me about how the Underground was connected to this world. It was an old legend that many parents in the Underground told their children."

"What was the legend?"

"It was said, my lady, that the Underground was born out of the imaginations of those who lived in your world, when humans first began telling stories. For that reason, the Underground drew strength from this world. In return, the Underground provided the people of this world with what they needed to come up with new ideas, and new stories. It was an eternal cycle, in which neither world could exist without the other."

"And…that would mean," Sarah spoke slowly, realizing what Sir Didymus was saying, "that if one world is in danger, _both_ worlds would be affected. And because the Agnostic's destroying the Underground, _our_ world is being threatened as well."

"That is how it would appear to be," Sir Didymus nodded grimly.

Before anything else could be said, there was a knock at the door, which opened immediately afterward, giving Sir Didymus and Theseus barely enough time to pretend to be stuffed toys again.

"Toby," Irene announced, poking her head though the door. "Bedtime. Let's go."

"Aw, Momma," Toby whined, reluctantly sliding off Sarah's bed. "I'm not tired."

"Don't argue with me," Irene instructed. "Come on."

"Night, Sarah," Toby mumbled, trudging out of the room.

Once Irene had closed the door again, Sarah turned back to Theseus and Sir Didymus.

"Well, then," she stated with conviction. "If these disasters _are_ tied to the Agnostic attacking the Underground, the situation is even worse than we thought. It's a good thing we're meeting with Stacey, Hoggle and Daedalus tomorrow in the park. As long as the Agnostic is loose in the Underground, neither of our worlds are safe. We have to beat it. To save the Underground, and this world as well."

* * *

 **AN:** Well, that was the final quiet chapter of this story. The next chapter will begin the buildup to the climax. Hope everyone enjoys it.

Also, the restaurant Wayne mentions in this chapter was a real place in Kent, Ohio. It was a former train depot that was turned into an eatery. Unfortunately, it appears to have been permanently closed down recently. But, since this story takes place around 1990, I figure the place was still open at the time.


	9. Worlds Colliding

The next day, Robert had just finished emptying the dishwasher, replacing the clean dishes with the dirty ones from breakfast, when Irene stepped into the kitchen. It was apparent from the expression on her face that she was looking for something.

"Robert," she began. "Have you seen Toby this morning? I was going to take him out to Chapel Hill Mall. He needs a new pair of shoes."

"He went out with Sarah about half an hour ago," Robert replied. "Sarah said she was taking him to Fred Fuller Park for a picnic lunch today."

"You didn't let them go, did you?" Irene exclaimed, suddenly sounding cross.

"What's the problem?" Robert asked, visibly confused by his wife's unexpected annoyance. "Toby's _always_ enjoyed spending time with Sarah, and Sarah hasn't shown any problems with looking after him since Toby was a baby. It's rather nice that they get along so well, especially with their age difference."

"The problem isn't them spending time together," Irene stated impatiently. "I'm more concerned with who they might be meeting up with. Yesterday, I saw Sarah out in Toby's playhouse and that Stacey girl was with her."

"Stacey?" Robert repeated. "You mean that young girl who spent the night here that one time two years ago?"

"Exactly! The last time that girl came around, Sarah was missing for _days_. Even now, she won't say where she went. And now, Stacey's back. Sarah might be an adult now, and allowed to get involved with whatever that Stacey's doing, but I'm not going to let her drag Toby into whatever she's up to."

"Irene," Robert sighed, "you know very well that Sarah would _never_ put Toby into danger."

"And what, may I ask, does she classify as dangerous?" Irene challenged. "I don't trust Stacey, and I don't want Toby _anywhere_ near her." With that, Irene started heading to the front door.

"Where are you going now?" Robert asked.

"Where else? I'm going to the park to find them. And if I see they're with that girl…." Irene left her statement unfinished, but cast a questioning look over at her husband. "Well? Are you coming, or am I going there by myself?"

* * *

In Fred Fuller Park, along the banks of the swollen stream that flowed through the park, Wayne gazed in wonder at Ludo, Sir Didymus and Theseus as he was introduced to the three creatures. He had announced that morning over breakfast that he wanted to come along with Stacey, Daedalus and Hoggle when they met up with Sarah and the others that day, stating that he wanted to help them come up with a plan of attack against the Agnostic.

"If I wasn't seeing them with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it," Wayne spoke softly, reaching out to stroke Ludo's arm in appreciation before bending down to give Theseus a light scratch behind his ears. "I never thought I'd be so pleased with seeing creatures from the Underground ever again. But now…I don't think I could be happier."

"And it is a pleasure to finally meet ye, Sir Wayne, Sir Didymus greeted with a respectful nod. "Queen Stacey has always spoken highly of ye."

"Hmmm," Wayne turned to the fox with a raised eyebrow. "You must be Sir Didymus. Stacey and Hoggle have told me all about you, too."

As Wayne continued to talk with Sir Didymus and Ludo, Stacey and Hoggle filled Sarah and Toby in on Wayne's past, and how he had really lost his younger brother.

"So, all this time," Sarah said, turning to the carpenter once Stacey and Hoggle had finished. "You've known about the Underground, too?"

"Yes, that is right," Wayne confirmed. "And even though a part of me will forever associate the Underground with my lost brother, I cannot sit back and do nothing when I know it is in danger. Especially when I see how living there has had such a positive effect on Stacy. That's why I came today. I want to do what I can to help defeat this Agnostic. After all, if you're going to come up with a plan of attack, you'll need as many brains as possible.

"So, then," Wayne continued, taking a seat at the base of a nearby tree, "please tell me everything you know, so…."

Wayne's words were cut short by the sound of a short, muffled cry nearby. In unison, everyone turned in the direction of the sound. The moment they saw who had cried out, Sarah leapt to her feet, her eyes wide in surprise. It was Irene, who was frozen in place with her hands over her mouth. Robert was standing close behind her. Both of them were staring at Ludo, Hoggle, and the rest of the Underground survivors in tangible shock.

"What _are_ those things?" Irene cried out, hurrying over to scoop Toby up and tear him away from the others.

"Mother," Sarah spoke urgently, trying desperately to calm her down. "It's okay. They're…"

"I can't _believe_ you, Sarah!" Irene interrupted. "How can you put your brother in danger like this?"

"They're _not_ dangerous," Sarah insisted. "They would _never_ hurt Toby."

"And _you!_ " Irene rounded on Stacey, showing no indication that she'd heard Sarah speak. "How _dare_ you come near my family again? Why didn't you just stay wherever it was that you went? I'm not going to allow you to lure my children away any more!"

"Excuse me," Wayne retorted, stepping in between Irene and Stacey, frowning up at her in disapproval. "I do not approve of what you're implying about Stacey. She is not some delinquent, and she would _never_ do anything to cause harm to Sarah and Toby."

As Irene and Wayne continued to stare at each other, their glares filled with the intention to defend their children, Sarah turned to her father, attempting to plead her case to him.

"Dad, please, hear me out," she began. "These are my friends. And they're here because they need our help. I know it's hard to believe, but…they're from another world."

"What do you mean, another world?" Robert asked, clearly trying to understand.

"There are parallel worlds," Wayne explained, not taking his annoyed stare off Irene. "Different realities, if you will. And traveling between these different realities, while not an everyday occurrence, is quite possible. One of these realities is called the Underground. Think of it as a living fantasy world, where every creature you've ever read about in fairy tales and mythical stories exist. As I understand it, Sarah has already gone to the Underground before on two occasions. I also went there myself, when _I_ was a boy. But right now, the Underground is in danger."

"It's being destroyed by something called the Agnostic," Sarah continued. "If we don't help stop it, the Underground will be destroyed."

"What does that have to do with you?" Irene challenged. "This has _nothing_ to do with us."

"You're wrong!" Sarah shouted, gesturing to Stacey, Ludo, Hoggle, Sir Didymus and Theseus in turn. "These are my _friends!_ If the Underground is destroyed, they'll all _die!_ And if that doesn't matter to you, than maybe you should know that our world will be affected, too."

"Sarah, what do you mean?" Robert asked.

"It was on the news, Daddy," Toby replied. "The earthquakes and fires are happening because of the Agnostic."

"Our world is somehow connected to the Underground," Sarah clarified. "Didn't you watch the news last night? All those disasters that are happening all over the world; it's because the Underground's being destroyed. We need to stop the Agnostic to save the Underground _and_ our world."

"There's that word again," Irene huffed. "The Agnostic. What is this Agnostic?"

"We don't know," Stacey admitted. "All we can tell is that it's a thing, a presence. If it even has a physical form, no one has ever seen it and been able to tell us about it. There's only a handful of us left, now. We came back to this world with Sarah and Toby to try and come up with a plan to stop it."

"And you still haven't given me a good reason why we should stand aside and let our _children_ risk their lives because of this thing," Irene cried. "Even _if_ our world is being affected by something that's happening in this fantasy world of yours, Toby is just a child, and all Sarah does is put on plays."

"Who _else_ is going to do something?" Sarah pointed out. "Just think about it for a second. If anyone else found out about the Underground, what do you think they'll do to it?"

"I think Sarah has a point," Wayne agreed. "As far as I know, she, Toby and I are the only ones from this world who have ever gone to the Underground. While I know it will be practically impossible to test this theory, maybe only those who are _open_ to the possibility of other worlds can go there. Because of that, Toby and Sarah are the only ones who are in the position to help."

"And what guarantee do we have that they'll return safely?" Irene demanded.

"I promise you, Mrs. Williams," Stacey replied, "that I will do whatever I can to keep them safe if they come back into the Underground with us. We've lost too many people to the Agnostic already, and I'm not going to sit back and allow it to hurt my friends any more."

"You seriously expect me to trust…?"

"Irene," Robert spoke up. "That's enough."

"What?" Irene gasped. "Robert, these are our children! You can't _really_ be thinking about _agreeing_ to this, can you?"

"From what I've heard," Robert said, "Sarah has gone to this Underground twice before, and we've never had any indication that she'd been hurt there. And…I trust her enough to know that she'd never allow Toby to get into any real danger." Looking away from Irene's stunned expression, Robert fixed Stacey with a serious look. "Do you _promise_ to bring them back home?"

"I have already given you my promise that I'll do everything in my power to keep them safe," Stacey pointed out. "And you can hold me to that."

Before another word could be said, a cruel laugh could be heard. Turning, everyone saw Phoebe, Quinn and Rosabel standing nearby, smirking at Stacey.

"Now _that's_ funny," Phoebe snickered. "Little Miss Stacey actually thinks she can keep _anyone_ safe."

"What are _you_ doing here?" Stacey snarled, her face contorting in rage. "Was my punch the other day too subtle for you to catch on to how I don't want to see you again?"

"Aw, that's not very nice," Stacey," Rosabel retorted. "Then again, it wasn't very nice of you to come back here and leave the rest of your friends behind to fend for themselves, was it?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about!" In spite of her words, Stacey couldn't help but frown. How did Phoebe and the others know about Lady Berdine, baby Reynard, Prometheus and Primrose?

"You hear that?" Quinn laughed. "She still hasn't figured it out yet! Now, really Princess. That's just disappointing."

"What do you mean? Figured _what_ out?" Sarah demanded. Instead of replying, the three girls stepped over to a nearby tree. With a cruel smirk on her face Phoebe placed a single finger on the tree, which slowly began to split into two from the base upward, forming a crude archway.

"What is that?" Irene cried, pointing in shock at the archway. Everyone instantly saw the reason for her alarm. It was perfectly clear that the view through the archway was not Fred Fuller Park. Instead, they all stared in amazement at a barren forest that was covered in snow and ice.

"That…it's the Underground!" Sir Didymus realized, gaping at Phoebe, Quinn and Rosabel. "But how can they make a doorway into the Underground? It is not possible."

"It really is a shame, Stacey," Phoebe taunted, turning back to face her. "To think that the reason why you came back here was all for nothing. You see, the moment you returned to this world was the moment you failed."

"Of course. _Now_ I understand," Daedalus exclaimed, clicking his beak in agitation. "So it's _you!_ "

"Daedalus! You're speaking English again!" Hoggle stated, looking over at the owl in surprise.

"It must be because of the doorway into the Underground being opened," Sarah theorized. "But we don't understand, Daedalus. What do you know that…?"

Sarah never got the chance to finish her question. In the blink of an eye, Daedalus took wing and flew right at Phoebe, attacking her face with his talons and beak. In response to the sudden attack, Pheobe stumbled backward for a few seconds before loosing her balance. Acting on instinct, Phoebe reached out to grab Quinn and Rosabel, but she only ended up pulling them down with her. As a result, Daedalus and the three girls all fell through the doorway, with the girls crashing into an icy pond. Upon impact, the ice that had covered the pond broke, drenching them with the frigid cold water.

What happened next was almost instantaneous. Before everyone's eyes, Phoebe, Quinn and Rosabel vanished from sight. In their place, an eerie dark mist formed over the pond.

"Oh!" Stacey whispered, her jaw dropping. "I recognize that pond now! It's the Pool of Depiction! The pool whose waters can strip anyone of any disguise. But that means…"

"Phoebe and the others were the Agnostic in disguise!" Sarah cried. The moment this was said, a pair of the most evil-looking eyes appeared in the mist, and a blinding flash of light forced everyone to look away. When they were finally able to look back, the tree Phoebe had formed the archway in had returned to normal. The portal into the Underground had vanished.

"I don't believe this!" Stacey shouted, rushing forward and banging her fist against the tree in rage. "The whole time….THE WHOLE TIME! The Agnostic was always there, right in front of my face, for all these years! How could I have been so _stupid?_ "

"Stacey," Hoggle spoke gently, stepping over to her side. "There's no way you could have known."

"He's right, Stacey," Sarah agreed. " _No one_ could have connected those girls to the Agnostic."

"We're going back," Stacey announced, a hardened glint in her eyes. "Right now. It's personal now. I'm not going to rest until I see that thing destroyed!"

Wordlessly, Sarah took out her medallion in preparation to return to the Underground.

"Sarah," Irene whispered. "Please don't go." For a moment, Sarah was rooted to the spot, completely amazed by the expression on her stepmother's face. There was no trace of the impatience and exasperation Sarah was used to seeing in her face whenever they spoke. Instead, she looked completely lost and scared.

"Mother, I…." Sarah's words were quickly interrupted as Irene continued her plea.

" _Please_ , Sarah. This thing you're running after isn't safe. And…how long are your father and I supposed to wait for you and Toby to come home?"

"I…Mother, Dad, I…I know you're scared." Sarah's voice shook with suppressed emotion. "I…I am too. But…if we don't do something, both the Underground _and_ our world will be destroyed. Please understand that…we're not just doing this to help our friends. We're doing this to protect you."

For a brief moment, there was absolute silence. What happened next took everyone by surprise. With a few brisk steps, Irene went right up to Sarah and pulled her into a tight hug. Before Sarah could get over the shock of being hugged by her stepmother, Irene had already pulled away to repeat the same gesture with Toby, with Robert soon following her example.

"Please," Irene whispered one last time as she and Robert stepped back again. "Promise us both that you'll return home to us."

"We will," Sarah agreed with a nod, still visibly shaken by Irene's display of affection.

"Sarah," Ludo spoke up. "Time to go."

"Right, Ludo," Sarah nodded quickly, forcing herself to look away from her parents. "Everyone, gather around."

"Just make room for me," Wayne volunteered.

"Wayne?" Stacey said in surprise. "You're coming, too?"

"I said so before, Stacey," Wayne pointed out. "I cannot just sit back knowing the Underground is in danger. If there's any chance I can help, then I'm taking it."

No one else said a word as Sarah held out her medallion to bring them all back to the Underground. The second the group of them had faded from sight, Irene turned and buried her face in Robert's chest, breaking down in sobs instantly.

* * *

 **AN:** And the countdown to the final battle has begun. Hope everyone liked the surprise twist in this chapter. There are plenty more of those coming, too.


	10. Spy

It was with a flash of light that Sarah, Stacey, Wayne and the others reappeared in the Underground, instantly sinking ankle deep into the frigid snow that still covered everything around them.

"Oh, my," Wayne's eyes widened as he took everything in. "When Stacey and Hoggle told me about how bad things were here, I had no idea it was _this_ bad. It's so cold; I don't think anything could survive for too long without a warm shelter."

"Yeah, I know," Sarah agreed. "So it might be a good idea to check up on…" Sarah's words trailed off with a gasp of horror, staring at something behind them. Upon following her gaze, the others all saw the cottage that had once provided protection for Prometheus, Lady Bernadine, Baby Reynard and Primrose had been completely destroyed, with no one in sight.

"NO!" Sir Didymus dashed forward, his voice strained with anguish as he frantically searched through the rubble. "Lady Bernadine! Where are you?"

"I don't understand!" Hoggle cried as Sir Didymus continued to call for his missing family to no avail. "The protective shield Stacey put around the cottage should have held. How could the Agnostic have gotten around it?"

"We were gone too long," Stacey whispered, her face growing even whiter than the snow around her. "That's…the only explanation. I put it up in such a way that the Agnostic could only get through if one of us _allowed_ it to. But...it must not have been permanent enough to sustain itself in my absence. This is all my fault! I should never have left them behind."

"Stacey," Ludo rumbled in a comforting tone, lightly nudging her shoulder with a finger. "Not your fault."

"He's right, Stacey," Sarah agreed. "You did what you could. And…maybe they got out alright before…"

"But you heard what Wayne just said!" Stacey argued. "How long could they survive out here when it's this cold?"

"It might not have been that long," Hoggle pointed out. "After all, we all just saw the Agnostic followed us into the Aboveground in disguise. This…might have just happened moments ago."

Before Stacey could give any kind of response, Sir Didymus was heard calling out for them. Moving quickly, everyone hurried forward to find Sir Didymus crouching down beside an unconscious Primrose, who was partially buried under a thin layer of snow.

"It's Primrose!" Hoggle exclaimed, dropping to the female dwarf's side to help her sit up. "Primrose! Wake up, Primrose! It's us! We're back!" After a few tense moments, Primrose gave a soft moan and weakly opened her eyes. She looked around for a second or two, as if she was still out of it. However, once she focused on Hoggle's face, she snapped out of it, throwing her arms around his neck with a cry of relief.

"Oh, Hoggle!" she cried, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "You came back!"

"What happened?" Sarah asked, crouching down to speak to the dwarf.

"I…I don't know," Primrose chocked out between sobs. "All I remember is the Agnostic attacking the cottage. The whole place was shaking, and then the roof caved in. I can't remember anything else. I have no idea where the others are." Primrose could not continue on and began to sob loudly, burying her face into Hoggle's shoulder. Neither of them noticed the conflicted look on Stacey's face as she watched the two dwarfs.

"We…we should probably keep looking," Stacey suggested after a few seconds. "Maybe…maybe Primrose isn't the only one lying unconscious." Taking Stacey's advice, everyone stepped away to continue searching for Prometheus, Lady Bernadine, and Reynard, leaving Hoggle and Primrose alone for a while.

"It's okay, Primrose," Hoggle assured her after a moment, rubbing her back in hopes of comforting her. "We'll find the others, soon."

"Hoggle," Primrose sniffed. "I…I'm just happy you came back."

Seconds after Primrose said this, the misery in her face seemed to dissolve, with her expression becoming blank and emotionless. But since her face was still buried in Hoggle's shoulder, he did not notice this. Moving slowly to avoid alerting Hoggle to what she was doing, she stuck her hand into the snow beside them, unearthing a small dagger that had been buried there. Stealthily, Primrose maneuvered the dagger until it was poised to strike. However, just as her arm stiffened in preparation…..

"HOGGLE!"

In a flash, Primrose was grabbed from behind and thrown aside. Hoggle remained frozen, staring in shock and confusion as Stacey appeared beside him, glaring down at Primrose, the dagger still in her grasp.

"What's going on?" Hoggle asked, looking between them in wide-eyed confusion.

"Ask _her!_ " Stacey shouted, pointing a shaking finger at Primrose. "I was just starting to look for the others, but then I realized I should make sure you two were safe first. After all, what would happen if the Agnostic came along while you were standing here unprotected? Imagine my surprise when I see _you_ , Primrose, about to stab Hoggle with _a knife?_ " With these words, Stacey angrily kicked out, showering the female dwarf with the snow. "Is that how you repay us? We _trusted_ you, Primrose! We let you into our circle, and left you with Prometheus and Sir Didymus' family! And all this time, you were only going to kill one of us? Is _that_ how the Agnostic got past the protective barrier I put up before leaving the Underground? _You_ let it in, didn't you?"

"Primrose?" Hoggle whispered, his voice shaking with disbelief. "That…that's not true, is it?" After a brief moment of silence, Primrose's looked back at them, her face still void of emotion.

"I'm a bit disappointed it took you so long," she said, speaking in a monotone voice. "Shouldn't it have aroused a bit of suspicion that the Agnostic's hold began to take effect only a few days after I appeared in the Goblin City?"

"So you _were_ the Agnostic's spy," Stacey concluded.

"For someone who is supposed to be responsible for the wellbeing of the beings within the Labyrinth, you are far too trusting," Primrose stated. "Letting your guard down with someone you'd barely even met? You really _are_ a hopeless leader. Maybe Jareth knew what he was doing when you threw you away to live with the carpenter."

An enraged cry slipped from Stacey's throat as she fell for the taunt, lunging forward. However, in her anger, she completely forgot about the fact that Primrose was still holding the dagger until it slashed along her arm. With a cry of pain, Stacey dropped to her knees, clutching the wound as Primrose took off running.

"Stacey," Hoggle spoke with concern, moving to her side to try and look at her injury. "Are you…?"

"Don't worry about it," Stacey insisted, gritting her teeth as she wiped away the small amount of blood. "It's not that serious."

"You still should at least take care of it," Hoggle argued, pulling out a large handkerchief from his belt to bind the wound.

"There are many wounds that need treating," a voice spoke nearby.

"Daedalus!" Hoggle and Stacey spoke in unison, turning to the owl who had appeared nearby.

"You're okay!"

"How'd you escape the Agnostic!" You fell through the doorway with it, and we all thought you were…"

"I almost was," Daedalus admitted. "But…an old friend stepped in at the last minute and helped me get away."

"What friend?" Stacey asked in curiosity.

"I think it's better if you see for yourself," Daedalus replied. "He's waiting for us all to join him in a hidden grotto nearby."

"Grotto? What grotto?"

"It's a very old cave that's located close by," Daedalus explained. "My father discovered it when I was just a fledgling."

"If you knew the grotto was there, why didn't you suggest it when we were tryin' to find a place to stay sheltered from the Agnostic when all this started?" Hoggle asked.

"Because the grotto wouldn't have provided a comfortable place for anyone," Daedalus answered. "There was no telling how long we would have to remain sheltered away, and the grotto would not have been suitable for a long-term hiding place."

"I guess that makes sense," Stacey decided. "So, where exactly is this grotto?"

"At the base of the hill overlook," Daedalus offered. "Just find the obelisk with the labyrinth symbol etched into the side, and press it. The hidden entrance will open up for you instantly. I'd take you there myself, but it would be best if I went to find the others."

"Why can't we go find them, too?" Hoggle asked.

"Because it's obvious Primrose wasn't just running to get away," Daedalus reasoned. "She'll be off to fetch the Agnostic. And if it finds you defenseless, Stacey, you're as good as dead. Besides…. my friend will want to see you as soon as he can."

"Okay, but be quick, Daedalus" Stacey insisted. "If you're not back with Wayne, Sarah and the others in five minutes, I will head back out to find you myself."

"I understand," Daedalus nodded before flying off.

Once he was gone, Stacey and Hoggle made off for the spot Daedalus had indicated in silence. Before long, they reached the base of the indicated hill and began to search the obelisks. It was Hoggle who located the labyrinth symbol.

"Over here," he called to Stacey, pushing the symbol as he spoke. Just as Daedalus had said, an opening appeared in the hillside almost magically. Exchanging a glance, the pair hesitantly stepped into the grotto. The moment they set foot inside, they saw someone was waiting for them, sitting against the stone wall with his knees folded up to his chest. Immediately, he raised his head to look up at them, the crackling flames from a crude fire pit embedded in the grotto floor casting its light across his face. Instantly, Stacey halted, rage filling her eyes as she recognized the figure sitting before them.

"YOU!" she shrieked, glaring in anger into the tired eyes of Jareth.

* * *

 **AN:** Short chapter, I know. But the next chapter will be the last one before the story's climax, so there will be a lot to cram in.


	11. Restitution

In the brief moments that followed, Jareth gazed up at Stacey and Hoggle with weary eyes. In the few years he had been gone, his face had grown lined and haggard, making him look old and tired, and this fact did not go unnoticed by either of them.

"Stacey," Jareth spoke. "I am glad you were not harmed by the Agnostic, my daughter."

"Your _daughter_?" Stacey snapped, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "After everything you've done, how dare you call me that? You've done _nothing_ to deserve the mantle of father. You certainly didn't want to have anything to do with me before. So why bother pretending to care for me now?"

"You're wrong," Jareth shook his head in sorrow. "I did care about you, Stacey. I always have."

"Don't lie!" Stacey demanded "If you were so concerned about me, you wouldn't have abandoned me as a child. You never once bothered to check up on me when I was growing up. And don't pretend that you did, because if you had, you would have seen how I was constantly bullied by Phoebe and her harpies. You would have done something to help me. If you had, then I wouldn't have become the empty, hateful person I was up until I returned to the Underground, when my friends saved me from myself. But even when you had the chance to rectify all of that, you flew off and disappeared without a word. And I'm not even going over what you've done to my friends; the friends who were more of a family to me than _you_ ever were. So don't _ever_ refer to me as your daughter, because you will _never_ deserve to be called my father!"

Jareth had been completely silent throughout Stacey's verbal lashing, the expression on his face seemingly indicating that he felt he deserved the harsh words.

"You have every right to be angry," he agreed. "I know I haven't been there for you the way I should have been, and I would do a lot of things differently if I had the chance to do so. But I know I can't. All I can say is that, when I did send you away, it wasn't because I didn't care."

"Spare me the song and dance," Stacey snapped, turning away.

The tense silence continued without pause until the doorway to the grotto slid open again, allowing Daedalus to fly in, followed by Ludo, Sarah, Toby, Wayne, Theseus and a devastated Sir Didymus.

"We didn't find them," Sir Didymus announced, his voice thick with unshed tears. "Lady Berdine. Reynard. Why did I leave them alone? I should have let them leave the Underground with us."

"We'll get them back, Didymus," Sarah replied, doing her best to console the fox. "You can't give up…." Sarah immediately trailed off, noticing who was sitting against the wall of the grotto behind Stacey and Hoggle. "Jareth!"

"Sarah," Jareth smiled weakly, glancing up at her. "It's been a long time. And…Toby's here, too. My, how you've grown."

"What are you doing here?" Sarah asked, still visibly stunned to see him.

"He is here to help," Daedalus explained. "When I came back to the Underground ahead of you, I managed to run into Jareth in his owl form."

"I had a dream," Jareth spoke up. "I dreamt of that last day, right before the Agnostic disappeared all those years ago. When I awoke, I knew I had to come back to the Labyrinth. I couldn't shake the feeling that something horrible was happening. When I returned, Daedauls told me about the Agnostic's return. And we formulated an idea."

"What idea?" Stacey inquired, her fears for the Underground proving stronger than her bitterness towards Jareth. The moment this question was asked, Jareth's face displayed a deep pain. It was Daedalus who had to continue for him.

"We wondered if we had been going about this all wrong," the owl explained. "Searching through all the castle records for information, trying to brainstorm to come up with a solution on our own; maybe those efforts were wasted, because no one alive could know the answer. Perhaps…we have to go beyond that."

"What do you mean?" Wayne asked, speaking for the first time since entering the grotto, showing no indication that he noticed Jareth was now looking at him in a scrutinizing manner.

"Think about it." Daedauls spoke slowly, fixing Stacy with a deeply sympathetic glance. "Who was the last person who encountered the Agnostic last time?" After thinking about Daedaulus' question for a moment or two, Stacey's eyes widened in shock, covering her mouth with one hand. However, it was Ludo who answered.

"Queen Susan," he stated.

"Are you saying we can contact her?" Stacey whispered, her voice barely audible.

"It might be possible," Daedauls confirmed. "But to do so, all of us have to offer their complete cooperation."

"Why wouldn't we cooperate?" Sir Didymus cried. "If contacting Queen Susan is the key to vanquishing the Agnostic, why would we hesitate?"

"Sir Didymus is right," Sarah agreed. "The Underground itself is at stake, and so is our world. Whatever we have to do, we'll do it."

"Please," Daedauls insisted, waving his wing for silence. "Please wait until you have all the facts before you decide, Sarah. Because it could all depend on you."

"I thought Queen Susan was the key," Sarah said, confusion evident in her expression.

"She is," Daedalus confirmed. "But Queen Susan's spirit can only be called back if her body is present. This is impossible, since she has been gone for a long time. You, however, are Queen Susan's reincarnation, meaning your body is close enough to serve the required purpose."

"You mean we're supposed to call back my mother to possess Sarah's body?!" Stacey exclaimed.

"But wouldn't that hurt Sarah?" Toby asked, looking up at his sister in worry.

"No, it won't come to that," Daedalus reassured. "The spell that can call upon Queen Susan's spirit cannot call her back forever. It should only be for a little while, just long enough for us to get the information we need. Then, Queen Susan's spirit should return to the other side and Sarah will regain control of her body."

"I…I don't think I can allow that, Daedalus." Stacey shook her head, her voice trembling.

"Stacey, it's for the Underground," Daedalus pointed out.

"And what happens _after_ we get the information we need?" Stacey cried, tears suddenly visible in her eyes. "This…this is my _mother_ we're talking about! If we bring her back, how am I supposed to just say goodbye again immediately afterwards?"

Wordlessly, Hoggle reached over to place a sympathetic hand on Stacey's arm.

"Stacey, you have to do it," he reasoned. "It's for the Underground. Remember that. And… this could give you the chance to say goodbye to her properly, somethin' you weren't able to do before. You may not get another chance to talk to her again."

For the longest time, Stacey was silent, a few tears slipping down her cheek, but then she lifted her head back up, a determined fire in her eyes.

"For the Underground, then," she announced. "What do we have to do?"

"The spell to call her back is a difficult, complex one," Daedalus explained. "So much so, two people are required. What's more, since Queen Susan has been gone so long, she might only be able to be called back if those two people are the ones who loved her the most."

"You mean, Stacey and Jareth have to cast the spell together," Sir Didymus concluded.

"It may be the only way," Daedauls confirmed. "After all, they are the only family Queen Susan knew when she died. Who else would have loved her more than them?"

For a few seconds, everyone exchanged an uneasy glance at Daedalus' words, each one thinking that the owl was asking for a small miracle. However, to their surprise, Stacey willingly stepped up to Jareth's side.

"Don't think this changes anything between us," she demanded. "It's simply that I don't want to see the Underground destroyed forever. If I have to accept your help to do so, than so be it."

* * *

A short time later, Sarah was sitting cross-legged on the floor between Jareth and Stacey, who were forming a circle around her with their joined hands. With everyone keeping a respectful distance to ensure their complete concentration, they began to recite the words to conjure the spell.

 _"Across the sands of time, our hands reach,_

 _Master of Life and Death we beseech._

 _Bring back the one our hearts once held dear,_

 _'Fore our plight can grow to mount our fear."_

Almost immediately after the last word had been spoken, a sudden wind rose up, swirling through the grotto. Under the influence of the wind, the dust on the floor began to swirl around Sarah, whipping through her hair relentlessly. After a few moments, Sarah let out a sudden gasp and went rigid. Only then did the wind dissipate, almost as suddenly as it had appeared. For a few moments, a tense silence echoed within the grotto, with everyone not even daring to breathe, but then Sarah's eyes snapped open and she looked around.

"Susan?" Jareth spoke softly and almost fearfully. At the sound of his voice, Sarah glanced up at him, an instant warm smile forming on her face.

"Jareth, my love," Susan whispered, getting to her feet. Wordlessly, she reached out and cupped his face in her hands, gazing up at him with an intense adoration in her eyes. A sudden choking sob slipped from Jareth's throat at the touch and he quickly pulled her into a tight embrace. The moment was broken when Stacey let out a strange sound of her own. In response, Susan looked over her shoulder and instantly looked close to tears.

"M… Mother," Stacey whimpered, taking a hesitant step forward.

"Oh, Stacey," Susan gasped, stepping out of Jareth's arms to hug her as well. "Just look at you! You've grown so much!"

Everyone watching allowed the reunion to continue uninterrupted for a full minute. Finally, Daedalus reluctantly cleared his throat

"Please forgive the intrusion, Majesties," he began respectfully. "But we don't have a lot of time. We need to ask you a few questions, Queen Susan. It's about…."

"I already know, Daedalus," Susan replied, maintaining a hold on Jareth's hand and lovingly rubbing Stacey's back as she spoke. "Just because I wasn't here in the physical sense doesn't mean I wasn't watching the whole time."

"Then do ye know how to defeat the Agnostic?" Sir Didyimus asked.

"I know the general idea," Susan confirmed. "So far, all you've seen is the Agnostic appearing as a fog. But that is not its actual form. The true form is actually hidden away inside the fog. You can only defeat the Agnostic by attacking its true form, but to do so, you must allow yourself to be consumed by the fog."

"You mean, one of us have to sacrifice ourselves?" Hoggle cried in shock. "There has to be another way!"

"I'm sorry, but there isn't one," Susan insisted.

"If that is the case, I shall do it," Sir Didymus volunteered.

"No." Jareth suddenly shook his head, growing noticeably paler. "While it is brave of you to volunteer, it cannot be you."

"And why not?" Sir Didyimus challenged.

"Because the last time, the Agnostic told me that only one person could defeat the Agnostic. On the day that Susan died, I tried to confront it, only to have it invade my mind and find out where my family had been hidden. That was when the Agnostic told me that…"

"' _The only one who has that power is the child your precious Susan cares for the most,'"_ Stacey continued. "That _wasn't_ just a nightmare I had?"

"No, it wasn't," Jareth replied. "The Agnostic really did tell me that."

"Then… Sarah was right," Sir Didymus mused. "Stacey has to be the one to defeat the Agnostic. After all, what other child would Queen Susan care for more than her daughter?"

"But that means she has to let the Agnostic consume her!" Wayne said with shocked horror. "Are you trying to tell me that Stacey has to risk dying to beat this thing?"

Before this revelation could fully sink in, Susan's legs buckled slightly.

"Susan, what's wrong?" Jareth cried, clutching her by the shoulders to steady her.

"I… I feel Sarah's life force starting to unfold," Susan replied. "The spell that brought me back must be wearing off."

"But…" Stacey gasped, devastation filling her voice. "Mother, I…."

"My darling daughter," Susan smiled tenderly at Stacey, reaching out to pull her into a loving hug. "Believe me, I already know what you want to say, and I feel the same as you. I wish we had all the time in the world to be together again. But to do so, I would have to steal away the life of your friend. Can you really ask me to do such a thing, and shatter another family in the process?"

"No." Stacey shook her head, fighting back the tears. With a sad smile, Susan placed a soft kiss upon Stacey's forehead before turning to Jareth.

"Susan," he choked out, bowing his head. "How… how am I supposed to say goodbye to you?"

"Shhh," Susan replied, placing a single finger against his lips. "There is no need to say goodbye. We will be together again soon enough." A visible shiver washed over Jareth's body as he pulled Susan into a passionate embrace, which only ended when Susan went rigid, letting out a gasp as Sarah's spirit regained control of her body. After giving a quick shake of her head, Sarah looked around at everyone.

"Did it work?" she asked. "What did Susan say?" No one could answer her at first, unsure of what to say. It was finally Daedalus who broke the silence.

"Yes," he said. "It did work. Susan told us what had to be done to defeat the Agnostic."

"Well?" Sarah questioned. "What do we have to do?"

Before anyone could answer, Stacey wordlessly turned and slipped out of the grotto. Those who managed to see her face saw that her expression was pained, as if she was holding back a fresh onslaught of tears.

"Stacey?" Jareth immediately moved to follow her, his face visibly concerned, but he was stopped by Wayne.

"No, Jareth," he said, shaking his head. "Hoggle? You should go after her."

"The dwarf?" Jareth asked incredulously as Hoggle turned and went after Stacey without a word.

"Yes, him. While I'm sure you want to help her right now, I think we both know she won't be receptive to your presence right now."

"And you're suggesting that _Hoggle_ is the one she'd be receptive to?"

"I am." Wayne confirmed. "And if you had been there last night, when the three of us were having dinner together, you would think the same. I've known Stacey for years, from the moment she practically appeared on my doorstep as a baby to the day she returned here to the Underground. But the Stacey who I've seen these past few days is so different. She's the happiest I've ever seen her. And I think a lot of the credit for that goes to her friendship with Hoggle. So I say he's the best person to comfort her right now.

"Besides, I think it's time _we_ talked. Starting with one very important question. Do you remember me?"

That question immediately caught everyone's attention, remembering what they'd learned about Wayne that very morning. He had lost his younger brother to the goblins, like the way Sarah had nearly lost Toby. For the longest time, Jareth did not answer, simply staring hard at Wayne's face. Finally, he lowered his gaze.

"Of course I remember who you are," he confirmed. "You're not someone I'd easily forget."

"In that case," Wayne replied. "I need to say this. I know it might not mean much after all these years, but…. I'm sorry, Jareth. I'm sorry I didn't make it in time."

"Hold on," Sarah spoke up, looking back and forth between the two men. "Wayne, why would you apologize to Jareth for not making it in time to save your brother from the goblins?"

"Because, Sarah," Wayne explained. "Jareth, or rather Jared Gareth to use his full name, _is_ the brother I lost." This revelation caused everyone to share incredulous glances.

"You might say I was a unique case," Jareth said, taking advantage of the stunned silence to continue the explanation. "Most of the time, the goblins usually take small babies. But I was considerably older than a baby. When Wayne didn't make it to the castle in time to save me, I was…angry. The goblins who took me utilized that anger and nurtured it. They convinced me that my brother had given up on me, and hadn't even tried to save me. They made me believe Wayne didn't love me. In the end, they didn't turn me into a goblin. Instead, they made me their king."

"I'm so sorry, Jareth," Wayne apologized. "Believe me, I really did my best to reach you before the time ran out. When I failed… it tore our family apart. Our parents; they were inconsolable, and it put a permanent strain on their marriage. And I've _never_ been able to forgive myself. It's why I moved to Ohio. I was trying to escape the painful memories. But even to this day, I still have nightmares about that horrible day, when my thoughtlessness made me lose you. I know I'll never be able to make it up to you, and I don't expect you to forgive me, but I need you to know how sorry I am."

"There was I time when I probably wouldn't have forgiven you," Jareth admitted. "But I suppose…. I really am in no place to hold a grudge against you. I've made mistakes of my own. I have no right to continue being angry at you when I have done no better. You might have failed to come through when we were boys, Wayne. But _I've_ failed to come through for my daughter. She was right. I _wasn't_ there for her when she needed me to be, and she has every right to be angry at me for that. But you, Wanye? From what I've been told tonight, you were the one who took Stacey in when she was sent away from the Underground. You were the one who was there for her when I wasn't. As far as I'm concerned, your debt to me is already repaid. I forgive you."

"Thank you, Jareth." Wayne smiled, his eyes shining with grateful tears.

* * *

Upon exiting the grotto, Hoggle quickly located Stacey kneeling on the ground by the obelisk. Even though she had her back toward him, he could still tell from her trembling shoulders that she was crying. Almost cautiously, he approached her to place a consoling hand on her shoulder. The instant she felt his touch, Stacey swiveled her head to glance back at him, but she quickly looked away in an obvious attempt to hide the tears that were staining her face.

"I don't even know why I'm crying," Stacey choked out through her sobs. "I never even _knew_ my mother. It's not as if I missed her. So why am I so….?"

"I think you know why," Hoggle replied in a gentle tone.

"I _hate_ the Agnostic!" Stacey yelled, slamming a fist against the snow covered ground. "It took _everything_ from me! It killed my mom, it ripped me away from the life I was supposed to have, and it even kept me from making a single friend in Kent. _Why?_ Why did it have to exist? Why couldn't it have left us all alone?"

"I don't know," Hoggle admitted. Without warning, Stacey spun around and practically threw her arms around Hoggle, sobbing openly. While the dwarf was frozen in place for a split second, his shocked surprise quickly dissipated. Feeling close to tears himself, he carefully began to rub a soothing hand up and down her back, letting Stacey cry it out.

When she was finally out of tears, Stacey pulled away, wiping her eyes.

"I'm sorry about that, Hoggle."

"No, you have nothin' to apologize for. Don't be ashamed of your grief."

"You're wrong. I _do_ have something to apologize for. I was too caught up in my own anger and sorrow that I never stopped to ask you how _you_ were doing."

"What do you mean?"

"Primrose. This whole time, she was working for the Agnostic. She tricked us all. And I didn't even bother to ask you how you were taking it."

"I….I still can't believe it," Hoggle admitted. "I really thought we could trust her."

"I know. I trusted her, too."

"You did?" Hoggle said, glancing at her in surprise. "I sometimes got the impression you didn't like her."

"You can trust someone and not like them at the same time," Stacey pointed out. "But… I didn't dislike her. If I ever made it seem otherwise, then I have something else to apologize for."

* * *

Inside the grotto, Sarah tore her eyes away from the small fire burning in the fire pit to cast a cautious glance at Jareth and Wayne, who were sitting a short distance away from the rest of the group. From the looks of it, they were having a serious conversation, speaking in hushed tones. She was still reeling from the surprise revelation that they were actually brothers. However, as she carefully looked between the two men, she saw there was indeed a certain physical resemblance between them, despite the noticeable difference in height.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the small kettle positioned above the fire began to whistle, signaling that the tea water was ready. Wordlessly, she began to pour the tea into earthenware cups and handed them out to her friends. After a pause, she brought the two remaining cups of tea over to Wayne and Jareth, who accepted the drinks with small smiles of acknowledgement. Sarah was just turning back to leave the reunited brothers alone when she heard Jareth speaking her name.

"Sarah?" he began. "I…. I'd like to apologize to you,"

"For what?" Sarah asked in surprise. Jareth paused of a moment before replying, sharing a brief glance with Wayne, who seemed to understand what his brother was wanting and stepped away without a word. Once Wayne had joined Ludo, Sir Didymus, Toby, Theseus and Daedlus by the fire, Sarah took a seat next to Jareth.

"I want to apologize for how I acted that night, four years ago. When you first came to the Labyrinth to rescue Toby."

"You don't have to…."

"Yes, I do. Because you need to understand why I did what I did. Why I kept throwing obstacles in your way, and tried so hard to make you give up."

"Daedalus explained that it was because you knew I was Susan's reincarnation," Sarah said. "He said Susan used to love challenges, and since you wanted so badly to believe I was her, you thought I would enjoy it, too."

"Is that what Daedalus said?" Jareth inquired, letting out a low chuckle.

"Are you saying he was wrong?"

"No. At least, not completely. There were a _multitude_ of reasons for my actions that night. When you wished your brother away, I knew I had to do my job. The rules of the Labyrinth, which were written long before I was brought here, stated that any child wished away _had_ to be taken by the goblins. And that the person who wished the child away had to be granted a chance to win the child back. But this was the first time I had to deal with it since becoming the Goblin King. The first time I had to deal with it since _I_ was the child that was taken. That's why I kept trying to get in your way, Sarah. That's why I kept trying to make you give up. I was resentful. I hadn't yet forgiven Wayne for not reaching me in time. And here were you, practically following in his footsteps. I was bitter enough that I _wanted_ to see you fail. Why should your brother get to go home when I didn't?"

"At the same time, I was dealing with _another_ turmoil. When I saw you for the first time, I couldn't believe it. I couldn't understand why you looked so much like _her_. I admit, it intrigued me. And when you came across that playbook about the Labyrinth and became so enthralled by it, I began to believe you were starting to regain Susan's memories. I really hoped that somehow, being back in the Underground would jog your memory further. Or rather, _Susan's_ memory. I knew you had her face, and even her voice. But did you have any of her memories, too? That peach I made Hoggle give you. Do you remember what you saw when you ate it?"

"I was at a ball," Sarah recalled. "Some sort of masquerade ball. Where you and I danced."

"It wasn't just a hallucination." Jareth stated. "It was a recreation of the night Susan and I first met. I was hoping that showing it to you would help you remember that night."

"And what if it _had_ worked?" Sarah asked. "If I somehow _was_ able to regain Susan's memories, what about Toby?" Jareth gave an ironic chuckle before he explained.

"I realize now how horrible this might sound. But back then, Toby was about the same age Stacey had been when the Agnostic had first attacked. In my wild, crazed mind, I thought he could fill the void, and Susan and I could raise him the way we hadn't been able to raise Stacey. I was a fool. I know that now. You….may look like her, and even sound like her. But…you're not Susan. You're Sarah. It was wrong of me to even _consider_ the notion that it would be otherwise. Just like it was wrong of me to take my residual anger at my brother out on you. I hope that, someday, you can find it in you to forgive me."

Sarah could only smile in response to that statement. The truth was, she hadn't ever resented Jareth for Toby's abduction. While it was true that he'd done everything he could think of to make her fail, the journey she'd made through the Labyrinth had helped her grow stronger and wiser. It had taught her to better appreciate Toby's presence. And it had led to her making some irreplaceable friends. In a way, she had felt a certain sense of gratitude towards Jareth. If he hadn't taken her brother back then, she might never had grown inside. And now, after hearing everything that had been going in in Jareth's head that night, Sarah couldn't help but sympathize with him. Knowing that he had been fighting with his residual anger at his brother _and_ wanting to regain the family that had been cruelly taken from him all at the same time; it somehow made him seem more human, more relatable.

Just as Sarah was opening her mouth to assure Jareth she didn't hold what he did against him, she suddenly burst out laughing as a thought occurred to her.

"I just realized," Sarah announced as she continued laughing. "Of all the houses Daedalus could have brought Baby Stacey to, after you sent her away, he brought her to _Wayne's_ house. To the house of the man who turned out to be her _uncle_." For a moment, Jareth's eyes widened comically, but then he also began to laugh at the irony.

* * *

 **AN:** This may be the last time I can update this story regularly. Up to now, I could update weekly because most of the story was already written. But after this point, I have nothing else written, and I'm not sure how long it's going to take to write out the conclusion to this story. Especially since I have other writing projects to deal with. So I hope this extra long chapter will tide everyone over until I get more done.


	12. The Power of Innocence

Even though Stacey and Hoggle had been sitting outside the hidden grotto for quite a while, the silence between them somehow felt comfortable. It was if they both knew that anything they said in that moment would have just been empty words. It wasn't until a particularly frigid breeze caused Hoggle to shiver that Stacey seemed to come to life again. Wordlessly, she lifted up a hand to conjure up a crystal orb. With just a twist of the wrist, she made the crystal transform into a heavy looking blanket.

"Here," Stacey offered, passing the blanket over to Hoggle.

"Thank you," Hoggle replied, accepting the blanket without hesitation. When he wrapped the blanket around his shoulders, a soft smile formed on his face. It seemed that Stacey had enchanted the blanket to generate a constant stream of heat. Wrapping up in the blanket made him feel like he was sitting in front of a roaring fireplace.

Before he could comment on that, Stacey rose to her feet, a resolute expression on her face.

"Stacey? What is it?" Hoggle asked, looking up at her in concern. Instead of replying, Stacey conjured up a second crystal. This one was transformed into an elegant rapier with a silver hilt.

"Hoggle, I need you to do something for me," she announced without turning around. "Get the others as far from this place as you possibly can."

"Why?" Hoggle questioned, tangible concern filling his tone. "What are you goin' to do?"

"It's time I put an end to this once and for all. I have to face the Agnostic and destroy it."

"But….how do you plan on doin' that?"

"You heard what my mother said," Stacey replied, still not looking at Hoggle. "To destroy the Agnostic, you have to destroy its true form. And that's what I have to do."

"But to do that, you have to let it absorb you!" Hoggle cried in shock and alarm. "You can't seriously be planning to…"

"What else am I supposed to do?!" Stacey cried, suddenly rounding on him. "Our home is all but completely destroyed! The entire goblin army, the Wise Man, Prometheus, Sir Didymus' family, even William the Worm and his Missus! They've all been snatched up, and we have no way of knowing if they're even alive! I'm sick of just standing around while this _thing_ keeps taking away everything and everyone I care for! It's time I did something about it!"

"You think I don't know how you feel about it?" Hoggle exclaimed. "The only thin' I _can't_ understand is why you seem to think it's a good idea to go off and face the Agnostic on your own. Tellin' me to just leave with the others? I don't _care_ if that's how it's done. I'm not goin' anywhere."

"That's _exactly_ what you're going to do," Stacey argued. "How am I supposed to challenge the Agnostic without knowing everyone is safe and won't be caught in the crossfire?"

"And how do you expect _us_ to sit by knowin' you're off fighting by yourself?" Hoggle challenged. "You think we can all sit back, not knowin' what's happenin' to you? That _I_ can….?"

" _HOGGLE!_ "

Stacey's abrupt tone shocked the dwarf into silence. In all the years they've known each other, she'd _never_ spoken to him like that before, or even given him that angry glare. But before he could recover from the surprise, the expression on his face seemed to register with Stacey, and her irate scowl melted away. In its place was a look of weariness. Moments later, she dropped to her knees, throwing her arms around Hoggle and burying her face into his shoulder.

"Hoggle, _please_ ," she whispered, her voice suddenly strained. "The Agnostic already took my mother from me. If I lost you as well…. I don't think I could _ever_ recover from that. You're my best friend. The one person I can't afford to lose. I won't be able to concentrate on what needs to be done unless I know you're safe."

"You're my best friend, too," Hoggle replied, his shock finally waning enough to return the hug. "Which is why I _can't_ leave. Not while knowin' you're off facin' that thin'. Don't order me to safety when you're goin' to be puttin' yourself in danger, Stacey. Because that is the one order I won't be able to follow."

Stacey slowly broke the hug in order to take in Hoggle's face, her eyes seemingly studying his resolute expression. Just when she was opening her mouth to say something, a sudden tremor shook the ground beneath them violently, causing the pair fall backward. Moments later, a pillar of black fog shot out from beneath the ground a short distance away with a loud roaring sound. When she saw the black fog, which was now towering above her, Stacey scrambled to her feet, picking up the rapier she'd dropped and taking up a fighting stance.

"Agnostic," she snarled, staring up at her enemy in fury. "So, you finally decided to show yourself."

"Why so angry, Goblin Queen?" The Agnostic's voice rumbled. "Be grateful I didn't strike silently as I originally intended to do. But I just couldn't stomach listening to the two of you waxing poetic any longer. I admit my disappointment, however. I thought I taught you long ago that you weren't _meant_ to have friends."

At the taunting reminder of the Agnostic's trick years ago, the fire in Stacey's glare intensified. But before she could strike out at the entity before her, the sound of Hoggle's shout of alarm caught her attention. Her face paled at the sight of Primrose, who had appeared behind Hoggle and was now holding a knife to his throat.

"I told you before, Agnostic," Stacey retorted, doing her best to keep her tone level. "Your quarrel is with me. Leave my friends out of this. But I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that you're sinking this low. What better way to try and keep me from destroying you than using threats."

Out of nowhere, a sinister cackle filled the air. It was clear The Agnostic was laughing manically.

"YOU?" the Agnostic sneered. "You really think _you_ can defeat me?"

"That's why you came after me when I was a baby," Stacey replied. "I heard the prophecy, or whatever it is you might call it. It said the one who would defeat you would be the child my mother cared for the most- _me._ "

"Oh, yes. It was true that you had the power to destroy me. Once. But you no longer have the power. I made sure of that."

"Right," Stacey scoffed. "As if I'm going to believe you now."

"Oh, you don't have to take my word for it," the Agnostic sneered. "I can prove it to you."

Without further warning, a sudden stream of dark energy shot out from within the Agnostic. The magical attack grazed against Stacey's face, creating a shallow cut in her cheek. The unexpected hit caused Stacey to stagger backward a few steps, lifting up a hand to touch her cut cheek. When she glanced down at her fingers, she was surprised to see them slightly smudged by blood.

"Now you can see," the Agnostic taunted. "You are completely powerless to stop me from destroying this world you love, and your precious friends along with it. However, I am not completely unmerciful. I can make it so you won't be around to see it."

Before anything more could be said or done, a sudden commotion interrupted the confrontation, as Hoggle had taken the opportunity to throw his head backward, the back of his skull colliding with Primrose's forehead. As a result of the unexpected move, Primrose had loosened her grip on him enough for him to get away. The moment he was free, Hoggle wasted no time in hurrying over to Stacey's side, positioning himself in front of her.

"Well, well," the Agnostic laughed cruelly. "Never would have thought you had it in you, pipsqueak. You're really willing to die alongside your precious queen? Not bad for a coward." Hoggle, however, remained silent, deciding not to rise to the taunt.

"Hoggle, please," Stacey begged, directing a beseeching glance at him. "Just go."

"Not without you," Hoggle insisted, not moving an inch.

"How touching," the Agnostic jeered. "Very well, then. If the two of you are that determined to die together, I might as well grant your request."

The moment the Agnostic delivered this threat, it unleased another blast of dark energy at Hoggle and Stacey. But mere moments before the attack could reach them, a blurred figure darted into the path of the assault, thereby taking the full brunt of the attack. It wasn't until the figure dropped to the ground that they were able to recognize him as Jareth.

" _Jareth?!_ " Stacey gasped, distantly aware that two other voices had cried out his name at the same time. In seconds, Sarah and Wayne appeared on the scene, visibly shocked and horrified over what had just happened. Their sudden appearance seemed to surprise Stacey further, and she glanced over to see the others standing a short distance away. Deep down, she knew she shouldn't have been surprised that they'd left the grotto. The Agnostic's arrival hadn't exactly been quiet. They were bound to have heard the din and stepped outside again to see what was happening.

Giving herself a quick mental shake, Stacey pushed aside her thoughts to focus on Jareth, whom Sarah and Wayne were trying to prop up into a sitting position. After a few tense moments, Jareth opened his eyes with a low moan of pain. Out of nowhere, he began coughing violently, with Sarah letting out a cry of alarm when he began coughing up blood.

"Jareth," Wayne whispered, eyes wide in horror.

"Don't worry about it," Jareth said, waving away the concern as he tried to stand. However, it was clear he was in severe agony, clutching at his chest.

"No, don't!" Sarah insisted. "Try to save your strength!"

"I have strength enough for this," Jareth insisted, his face still contorted from the pain. With this vow, Jareth held out his hands, palms facing outward, as if he was pushing against something. In an instant, an entire wall constructed of crystal balls manifested in front of him, creating a physical barrier between them and the Agnostic.

"What are you doing?" Stacey questioned, looking between Jareth and the wall of crystals.

"Giving you time to run," Jareth replied. "You need to get out of here. Get as far away as you possibly can."

"Where are we supposed to go?" Sir Didymus exclaimed. "The Agnostic will find us no matter where we go in this world."

"Then you find _another_ world," Jareth snapped. "Or keep running until you figure out how to defeat it. As long as you continue to exist, there's still hope that you'll find a way someday. Now, please hurry! I won't be able to hold it off forever."

"But…." Wayne stammered.

"I'm sorry, Wayne," Jareth said, directing his gaze at his brother. "I wish we had been given more time. Perhaps we'll meet again one day."

"You don't have to do this," Stacey insisted, shaking her head. "You can still come with us."

"We both know I have to stay behind to keep the wall up for as long as possible," Jareth pointed out. "Besides, there's no sense in denying it. I'm in no positon to run anywhere."

"Why'd you do it?" Stacey asked in a strained whisper. "Why would you even _let_ yourself get injured like that?"

"Because you were right," Jareth replied. "I was… a poor excuse of a father to you for far too long. I wasn't there when you needed me to be. So let me there for you now. Let me be a proper father for you this one time."

In that one moment, Jareth turned to glance at Stacey, who did not look away. It wasn't until her vision started to blur slightly that Stacey realized she was crying.

The moment was broken when a loud booming sound rang through the air, as the Agnostic struck out at Jareth's barrier wall, trying to knock it down.

"Go," Jareth instructed, giving Stacey a gentle, almost peaceful smile before redirecting his attention at the wall of crystals to properly concentrate on keeping it up. For a few seconds, however, Stacey remained rooted to the spot, continuing to stare at Jareth. It wasn't until Wayne urged her to move by gently tugging on her arm that she seemed to snap out of it and started to lead the others away. However, as they hurried up the hillside, she still felt a pang of regret and guilt.

Despite what Jareth had said, where exactly _could_ they go? Sir Didymus was right. They had nowhere else to go. Even if they _were_ able to find another world to settle in, the Agnostic had already proven it could easily travel between worlds. It had been able to follow her into the Aboveground, so it would certainly never stop. And speaking of the Aboveground, what was going to happen to the people of that world? People like Sarah and Toby's parents. Were they supposed to just forsake them and leave them to their fate as the Aboveground fell to ruin due to the destruction of the Underground?

Just as the group was reaching the top of the hill, they heard the sound of a panicked ' _chu!_ ' Looking back, everyone saw Theseus had fallen behind, having gotten stuck in a particularly deep snowbank. And, from the looks of it, he was having a bit of trouble trying to get out of it.

At that moment, a horrible scraping sound was heard, which turned out to have been caused by the Agnostic, whose relentless assault had managed to create cracks within Jareth's crystal wall. While the cracks were not very big, they were big enough for the black fog to seep through. As such, the Agnostic was able to direct a deadly blast at the escaping friends, with Theseus directly in the line of fire.

"Theseus!"

Without hesitation, Toby hurried back towards the gremlin, turning a deaf ear to Sarah's panicked pleas to come back. As such, they could only watch in horror as the events unfolded, with Toby reaching Theseus just as the Agnostic's attack struck. But, to everyone's amazement, the moment the dark energy collided with Toby, he suddenly began to glow with a brilliant golden light, which seemed to cause the dark energy to evaporate away. The golden light faded away a few seconds later, and Toby stood up, completely unharmed. Nevertheless, Sarah hurried forward to scoop up her little brother and stated checking him for any noticeable injuries.

"What happened?" Hoggle wondered aloud. "Not that I'm not relieved, but…why wasn't Toby harmed by the Agnostic's attack?"

No sooner had this question been asked, Stacey gasped silently.

"Wait," she muttered, her expression showing she was figuring something out. "The prophecy. The one that said the Agnostic could be defeated by the child Susan cared for the most. What if…we just misunderstood?"

"What Stacey mean?" Ludo asked.

"Of course!" Wayne exclaimed, realizing what Stacey was thinking. "What does the word ' _agnostic_ ' mean? It means doubt and disbelief? The exact opposite of faith and belief. And isn't it a general rule that children have the strongest sense of those traits? That would mean the Agnostic can be defeated by someone with the faith and belief of a child. Someone with a heart filled with childlike wonder and innocence."

"But the prophecy said it was _Susan's child_ who would be the one," Sir Didymus pointed out.

"Don't you see?" Stacy said. "Susan isn't here anymore. But Sarah is. And while I was the child Susan cared for the most, her reincarnation of Sarah; she cares for a new child."

"It's Toby!" Hoggle gasped, eyes wide in amazement.

In unison, everyone turned to look at the boy in question, who was still being embraced by Sarah.

* * *

 **AN:** How's that for a plot twist, huh? Sorry this chapter took so long. Hope it was worth the wait.


	13. Into the Abyss

"Toby?" Sarah gaped in shock. " _Toby_ is the one who can defeat the Agnostic?!"

"It would appear that that's the case," Wayne confirmed.

"But…that would mean we have to let Toby get consumed by that thing!" Sarah cried. "You're saying we have to endanger Toby's life?"

"No," Stacey insisted. "Sarah, I promise you, I would _never_ ask you or Toby to put your lives in danger."

"Then what are you suggesting? The only way to defeat the Agnostic is by destroying it from the inside. And if Toby is the only one who can do it….."

Sarah's words trailed off when Stacey knelt in front of her and Toby. Wordlessly, she conjured up a crystal ball in her hand.

"There's something I haven't mentioned," Stacey explained, her eyes focused on the crystal she was holding. "I just didn't think it was relevant. But, the day before my coronation, I was studying some old scrolls from the castle's archives. One of them contained a spell of some kind. I believe it could help us now."

"What sort of spell was this?" Sir Didymus asked.

"It was a bit like astral projection. According to the scroll, this spell could temporary transfer your consciousness to a random object. Obviously, it's a risky spell, as it would leave your actual body vulnerable. So I never got the chance to practice it before today. But….perhaps, I could utilize it now and transfer Toby's consciousness into this crystal. Only temporarily, of course. That way, Toby's innocent spirit would be able to enter the Agnostic while his actual body remained safe from harm."

"Would that work?" Hoggle inquired, his eyes wide.

"In theory," Stacey allowed with a shrug. "It's really the only plan we have, though. But it's up to you and Toby, Sarah. I won't force either of you to go along with the idea if you feel it puts your brother at risk."

For a moment, Sarah remained silent, as if considering Stacey's words. But her thoughts were interrupted when she felt Toby squirm out of her embrace.

"I want to help, Sarah," Toby declared, meeting his sister's gaze.

"Toby, are you…?"

"It's to help Mommy and Daddy, too, isn't it? The Agnostic will end up hurting them if we don't stop it."

"Yes," Sarah confirmed. "That's right."

After taking a steadying breath, Sarah glanced up at Stacey and gave a single nod, granting her consent to the idea. Smiling in relief, Stacey held the crystal out to Toby, who took it into his hands.

"Toby, listen closely," Stacey instructed. "Because this is very important. I need you to look into this crystal. Concentrate on how much you love your mommy, daddy and big sister. Think about how you want to help them, and keep them safe from the Agnostic."

For a few minutes, Toby did as he asked, staring intently at the crystal in his hands. Without warning, his eyes suddenly closed and he fell backwards, landing right into Sarah's arms. As he fell, the crystal slipped out of his fingers, and Stacey quickly reached out to catch it.

"Is Toby okay?" she asked urgently, looking at the unconscious boy in visible concern.

"I think so," Sarah confirmed. "I can feel him breathing." Instantly, the worry in Stacey's face melted away, being replaced by a look of determination.

"Then it's time we ended this," she announced, getting to her feet.

"Wait!" Hoggle exclaimed, turning to her in tangible worry. "What are you…?"

"What am I planning to do?" Stacey supplied for him. "What I _have_ to do. For all our sakes."

"No!" Hoggle cried, making a movement towards her, only for Wayne to hold him back. "Stacey you _can't_ …."

Despite directing a pained smile at the dwarf, Stacey focused on turning a deaf ear to Hoggle's pleas. Instead, she simply turned and proceeded to walk back towards the Agnostic, putting all her effort into not looking back at her friends and loved ones, knowing that doing so would make her reconsider her decision.

As she reached the base of the hill, however, an unearthly screech spilt the air as the Agnostic broke through Jareth's barrier wall. Moving at the speed of a tsunami wave, the Agnostic surged forward, consuming everything in its path. As such, Stacey was swallowed up by the dark fog in a matter of seconds. For what felt like a solid minute, she could see nothing. She was completely surrounded by pitch blackness.

"Hoggle?" Stacey called out. "Wayne? Sarah?" To Stacey's shock, even though she was willing the words to come out, she couldn't hear her voice. It was if sound itself was completely nonexistent. There was nothing but darkness and silence all around her.

Just as she started to feel completely disoriented with her senses of sight and sound blocked off, she noticed a light shining in her hand. Glancing down, Stacey saw the crystal ball she'd been holding was now glowing with a warm golden light.

"Toby," she whispered, realizing the light was coming from Toby's spirit. This time, however, the sound of her speaking reached her ears. It was as if the light of Toby's innocent spirit was vanquishing the Agnostic's power of canceling out her senses. Before Stacey's eyes, the light poured out from the crystal and started to form a shape, taking up the basic appearance of the small boy. At first, Toby's Spirit seemed confused, looking around at the unfamiliar surroundings, but his face lit up into a smile when he noticed Stacey standing in front of him.

It was only then that Stacey saw it. Just over Toby's shoulder, there was what appeared to be a sinister looking mask. Shining out from the mask's eyeholes were a pair of the most evil-looking eyes imaginable. It was all Stacey could do to not recoil from the sight. So she was not surprised when Toby let out a terrified whimper when he turned and looked himself. In sympathy, Stacey instinctively reached out to give the boy a one-armed hug, only to find that Toby's Spirit wasn't solid, and her hand simply went right through him. As a result, she remembered that Toby wasn't actually there physically. It was only his innocent spirit. After a pause, Stacey glanced down at the crystal in her hand to see it was still glowing with the same golden light.

"Foolish human!" the unearthly shriek of the Agnostic cried out. "You really think you can defeat me? You've already lost! Your friends are gone! There's no one left! And in a matter of moments, I'll have consumed this entire world!"

Refusing to listen to that statement, Stacey turned to face the sinister-looking mask, understanding that that was the Agnostic's physical form. Despite the Agnostic's claims, she could still detect a faint note of panic in its voice. That could only mean that the Agnostic was scared.

Out of nowhere, Stacey realized what she had to do. Focusing her defiant gaze on the Agnostic's true form, she hurled the crystal ball continuing Toby's innocence at her enemy. As the crystal sailed towards the mask, an earsplitting wail split the air, only cutting off when the crystal hit its target. Almost immediately, a jagged crack formed along the surface of the Agnostic's physical form, a blinding light pouring out of the crack, which seemed to grow bigger with each passing second. Then, without any noticeable warning, the mask shattered into pieces, releasing a blast of dark energy in all directions. By instinct, Stacey closed her eyes and tuned her head to avoid the wave of dark energy as it flew at her. However, as she experienced what felt like a blast of cold air wash across her face, her mind suddenly went blank, and she remembered nothing else.

* * *

Distantly, Stacey was aware that she was dreaming, but she found she couldn't really care. She simply looked around at her unfamiliar surroundings, realizing she was standing in what appeared to be a 1950s style kitchen.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound a young boy shouting something. No sooner did she turn in the direction of the voice, two blonde-haired boys appeared. The first boy seemed to tower over his brother, whose head and arms were slightly disproportional with the rest of his body. It appeared they were in the middle of an argument. But Stacey could not take her eyes off the two boys, feeling that she recognized them somehow. With a jolt, she realized she was looking at a 10-year-old Jareth and a 12-year-old Wayne.

"Wayne, I'm sorry!" Jareth exclaimed. "I didn't mean…it was an accident."

"An _accident?_ " Wayne shouted, glaring at his younger brother. "I told you not to touch my stuff! But you just do whatever you want, don't you?

"No, I…" Jareth stammered, looking close to tears. But Wayne continued his tirade.

"Of course you do. You're the golden child! _You're_ the one everyone loves."

"No, that's not true!"

"Yes, it is! You're the one who's _normal_ , the one everyone knows will go places. Now look at me. I can barely see over the counter at the soda shop. So what kind of job do you think I can possibly get when I'm older? Do you think I can go work in our father's office? No one there's _ever_ going to take me seriously. And I can hardly go to work as a mechanic or plumber. I'd be too much of a liability. The only job someone like me could ever find is a circus clown. Or a part of the freak show."

Stacey's eyes were focused on Wayne during his entire rant, amazed at the bitterness in his voice. There was something about the way he was talking that resonated with her. Within his tone, she could hear the same sort of pent-up anger that she herself had felt through most of her life. Was Wayne bullied as a boy because of his diminutive height, the way she herself was bullied through her entire childhood?

"Wayne, you know that's not true," Jareth beseeched. "Everyone knows you're smart and funny. I bet they're even going to pick you to be valedictorian."

"Yeah, that'll be the day," Wayne scoffed. "And I bet they'll build me a special stepladder in shop class. Face it, Jareth! You're definitely our parents' favorite. They must have been so _happy_ that you were born normal, and they weren't stuck with two freak children."

"You're wrong, Wayne!"

"No, I'm not! Why else would Mom and Dad let you get away with everything? Watch; I bet you anything that they'll just shrug it off when I tell them you broke my favorite record. They'll tell me that I should take better care of my things, or that I should go easy on you because you're the youngest. You know something, Jareth? I wish that…the _goblins_ would come and take you away. Right now!"

At this, Stacey suddenly let out a gasp. It wasn't until that moment that she realized exactly what she was witnessing. This was the moment when Wayne had carelessly wished his brother away. Sure enough, she could only watch as a small horde of goblins suddenly materialized in the room, grabbing Jareth and dragging him out of the room. For a few seconds, Wayne seemed rooted to the spot, too stunned by he was seeing to even move. But the moment he realized what was happening, he cried out and ran after the goblins, trying desperately to stop them. Unfortunately, the goblin horde vanished into a hallway mirror before he could reach them, taking Jareth with them. As such, all Wayne could do was bang a fist against the glass face of the mirror, begging and demanding for the goblins to return his brother.

As Stacey watched the young Wayne in his distress, she felt as if her heart would break, too. She knew how this story ended. Wayne had been given the same chance Sarah had been given when Toby had been taken away by the goblins. But unlike Sarah, Wayne had failed to reach his brother in time and was forced to return home alone. What must that have been like? How could he have possibly explained what had happened to Jareth to their parents? Who would even believe his story?

All at once, the scene seemed to dissolve, and the 1950s kitchen transformed into a room Stacey recognized as the grand ballroom of the Castle Beyond the Goblin City. The room was filled people, laughing, conversing and dancing. From the looks of things, it was a masquerade ball. Her attention was only directed away from the multitude of dancers when she heard a long-suffering sigh from behind her. Glancing over her shoulder, she was taken aback by the sight of Jareth, now considerably older than he'd been when the goblins had abducted him from his childhood home. While he was dressed in an opulent blue tailcoat, it was clear from expression, and the way he was slouched in a seti chair, that he'd prefer to be anywhere but at this ball.

It appeared Stacey hadn't been the only one who heard Jareth's sigh, as a figure took that moment to sit next to him.

"Not now, Angus," Jareth said, not even bothering to look over. "I'm not in the mood right now."

"It is a _party_ , your majesty," Angus reminded. "All these people came to pay their respects to you. Some have come from beyond the mountains. And here you sit, ignoring them all."

"I already told you," Jareth growled. "I did not want to even _have_ this ball. Especially not today. Have you forgotten the date?"

"Oh, don't tell me you're still hung up over that," Angus groaned. "You're not still tormenting yourself about _him_ , are you?"

"He was my _brother_ , Angus!" Jareth snapped.

"After all this time, you still say he was your brother?! He didn't care about you! If he had, he would have come to save you. Don't forget that I was there that day. I was there when the goblins first brought you to the Underground. So I had a front row seat to the whole ordeal. And I was there when your brother just gave up. He didn't even _try_ to reach you in time. He didn't even care enough about you to…."

Before Angus could continue his statement, Jareth rose to his feet and proceeded to storm off. Though he was able to reign in his annoyance just enough to graciously greet everyone who stopped to talk to him as he navigated through the crowd.

Finally, he made it out to the balcony overlooking the Goblin City, and he found he could breathe again. While he knew Agnus was right about having a responsibility to play the part of a gracious host, he just wasn't in a hospitable mood. Not on the anniversary of the day he'd been taken away from his hometown as a boy. It hadn't helped that he'd had a nightmare about it just last night. All day long, he'd been tormented by the mental image of Wayne's anguished expression as he'd watched the goblins drag him away.

Jareth was so lost in thought, he hadn't noticed that he wasn't alone on the balcony until he saw the movement out of the corner of his eye. Thinking it was Angus again, he spun around in anger, fully prepared to reprimand him for following him outside. But his voice died in his throat when he saw it was a young dark-haired beauty in a flowing white gown.

"My apologies," the woman stated, smiling placidly up at him. "You seemed so troubled, I didn't want to disturb you by announcing my presence earlier."

"Did you follow me out here?" Jareth asked, frowning in disapproval.

"If you want to be technical, you were the one who followed me," the woman replied. "I was sitting out here a good ten minutes before you stepped outside."

"Why?" Jareth asked. "Shouldn't you be inside enjoying the party? Like all the other women here?"

"It was getting a bit too overwhelming in there for me. Crowds like that; I can only handle in small doses. I came out here to clear my head a bit."

"If you're not one for parties," Jareth commented, "why even show up?"

"I had a responsibility to be here, to represent my people."

It was only then that Jareth noticed the leafy ornaments woven into the woman's hair. Right away, he recognized them for what they were. They were not there as decoration, but as an identifying insignia.

"You're one of the Mages from the Order of the Willow," he realized.

"I came with some of my sisters, in order to pay our respects to you, Goblin King. But I ask your forgiveness. I was not prepared for the overwhelming contradiction of emotions."

"What do you mean?"

"It is an unfortunate burden of being a Willow Mage, your highness. When you reach a certain level of enlightened wisdom, it is not always easy to switch it off. And you can feel the vibrations of extreme emotions. Normally, masquerades such as these are overflowing with frivolity and mirth. But tonight, the vibrations of those emotions were overpowered by an almost crippling torment. It was the feeling one gets when they find themselves trapped in isolation. It was frustrating for me that I could not pinpoint the source of those feelings. Especially when everyone around me was laughing and celebrating. So I came out here, hoping that distancing myself would help make things clearer.

"But now that you're standing out here, I see that those feelings were emanating from _you_. If you'll forgive me, I never imagined a single person could feel that much sadness and pain."

For the longest moment, Jareth could only stare at this woman in shock. She could actually sense what he was feeling? And the way she was looking at him; it wasn't the look of pity. She was looking sincerely remorseful and sympathetic towards him. He was suddenly getting the impression that she genuinely wanted to help him. Not because of who he was, or for the sake of propriety. But because she cared about him as a person.

"What's your name?" Jareth asked.

"Susan," the woman replied. "My name is Susan."

The scene then dissolved, but reformed instantly to show Jareth standing out on the same balcony. This time, his expression was noticeably lighter, as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. When he heard the sound of a small baby babbling, he instantly turned around, his smile widening when Susan came into view, her long hair being lightly tousled by a passing breeze. Nestled in her arms was a baby girl. Without hesitation, Susan stepped into Jareth's waiting arms, resting her head against his shoulder. With his free hand, Jareth reached up to gently stroke the baby's head. At the touch, the baby girl looked up at him with wide blue eyes.

"My precious Stacey," Jareth whispered, gazing down at his baby daughter. "You and your mother are my greatest treasure."

In the blink of an eye, the scene changed again in a flash of light. This time, the scene that replaced it was void of the peace and joy of the last one. Instead, there was a feeling of fear and terror. Jareth was charging through a wooded area, sheer horror on his face. He skidded to a halt when he reached a thatched wooden hut. His stomach dropped when he saw the large gaping hole in the thatched roof.

"Susan?" Jareth shouted, charging forward. "SUSAN?!"

Not waiting for an answer, Jareth yanked the front door open, nearly ripping it off the hinges in his panic. The scene waiting for him made a horrible bellow of torment escape from his throat. There was Susan, lying motionless on the floor. Her mouth was open in a silent scream, which was echoed in her wide, fear-filled eyes.

"Susan!" Jareth screamed, dropping to his knees and gathering up her body in his arms. "No, no, no! Please, _no!_ " Tears coursed down his cheeks as he began rocking Susan's still form, his own body racked by sobs. His misery was so great, it took him a while to realize he wasn't the only one crying. The one-year-old Stacey was sitting in her crib nearby, wailing in a mixture of fear and pain. On her small shoulder, there was a fresh burn mark. It was Daedalus who approached the small girl first, perching on the edge of the crib.

"Your Majesty," Daeduls said, speaking softly. "I understand your grief. But the young princess is hurt. She needs her father."

"No," Jareth sobbed, unable to look away from Susan. "Take her away. _Far_ away from here."

" _What?_ " Daedalus gasped. "You can't be seriously asking…?"

"Don't question me, Daedalus!" Jareth shouted. "I am giving you an order! You are to take that child far away from here."

"But…with respect, Sire. Your daughter needs you."

"She needs a father who can _protect_ her," Jareth snarled. "If this day proves anything, it's that I am not the father she needs. Now, do as I say, Daedalus. You are to take that child from the Labyrinth. Take her far from this very world. I don't care where. Just….take her somewhere where she won't be near me."

"Are you certain this is what you want?" Daedalus asked.

"What I want," Jareth replied, "is my wife back. As you can see, what I _want_ doesn't matter anymore, does it? Now you heard my order, Daedalus! Don't make me ask twice!"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Daedalus relented, giving what appeared to be his attempt at a bow.

Jareth didn't look up until he heard the sound of Stacy's cries cutting off abruptly. In a flash, he turned to the crib and found it was empty. The sight of the empty crib caused a sudden wave of misery to wash over him, as if he'd only just realized what he'd done. He was now completely alone, having lost Susan and Baby Stacey all at once. As the realization sank in, his sobs grew even louder than before.

The scene changed again…..

Jareth was now sitting alone in his throne room, sprawled out on the throne. His expression was of someone who had lived through a hundred years of misery. His eyes were trained on a small object in his hand- a baby's teething ring. It was only when he heard the sounds of someone approaching that he stuffed the toy into his pocket. The moment the teething ring was safely out of sight, the man Jareth had interacted with at the masquerade ball appeared in the throne room.

"Thank you for seeing me, Your Majesty," Angus began in greeting. "I appreciate how you were able to push through your grief to grant me an audience."

"Only because you said it was worth my time," Jareth retorted. "What is it you had to show me?"

"Well, you see, Sire, it pains us all to see you in such misery, and it torments us to know we can do nothing to ease your pain. But I may have found a way to help." As Angus spoke, he produced a familiar looking pendant. It was the crescent moon necklace that Jareth always seemed to wear in the present.

"Do you think a worthless trinket is enough to replace my family?" Jareth snarled, glaring at Angus.

"You misunderstand, Your Highness!" Angus replied, speaking quickly. "It's enchanted. While it won't erase your sorrow, it can help mute the grief. The medicine man I purchased it from said he used it with the patients who were experiencing severe pain. Every time, it dulled their agony, making it easier for the medicine man to treat their ailments. Perhaps it can also ease the pain within your heart."

For a long moment, Jareth simply glared at the pendant, contemplating what he was being told. Then, in an abrupt movement, he reached out for the pendant, taking it from Angus. The instant it had been placed around his neck, however, Jareth flinched, realizing something was wrong almost instantly.

"What is this?" he growled, trying to pull the pendant off again. However, when he tried to remove it, he was shocked to find the pendant burned his hand.

Out of nowhere, Angus started to laugh. But the laugh didn't sound natural. It was almost demonic and sinister. The moment he heard the laugh, Jareth snapped his gaze at him, his expression a mixture of surprise and suspicion.

"Who are you?" he demanded. "You're not Angus, are you?"

In the blink of an eye, 'Angus' shifted in form, becoming an eerie black mist, revealing itself as the Agnostic.

"Foolish man," the Agnostic taunted. "There never _was_ an Angus. Did you never question the fact that _another_ _human_ lived in a city solely occupied by goblins?"

"I don't understand," Jareth growled, getting to his feet. "Why? What were you trying to accomplish by poising as my steward?"

"Oh, _think_ , you simpleton," jeered the Agnostic. "I _thrive_ on despair and emptiness. And there you were- a small, easily-manipulated child who had just been ripped away from his family. It was all too easy to nurture that misery in your heart so it would continue to sustain me."

"So when I found happiness again, with Susan and our daughter," Jareth continued, filling in the blanks.

"Ah, catching on, are you? Yes, you are correct. The woman and the little brat were successfully combatting the misery that lived in you for so long. I couldn't have that, could I?"

"So you killed Susan solely to make me miserable again," Jareth concluded.

"Don't give me _all_ the credit, Goblin King. You were the one who chose to send the young princess away. That decision was yours alone."

"But now, you must realize _you've_ made a mistake, too," Jareth laughed. "You've told me how to strike back at you. You need me to stay miserable, or you won't be able to sustain yourself. But if I can locate where Daedalus took my daughter, I could have her back in my life again."

"Only if you want her to be harmed by your own hands," the Agnostic countered. "You forget the pendant you now wear."

"What have you done?" Jareth asked, growing pale.

"Within that pendant, I placed a portion of my being," the Agnostic revealed. "If you _ever_ seek out the young princess again, the pendant will activate, and I will be able to temporarily take control of your body. Imagine what I can make you do to her in the span of just a minute."

"Don't you _dare_ harm her!" Jareth bellowed.

"That's entirely up to _you_ , Jareth. If you don't want her harmed, you best not do anything that would bring me close enough to do so. Looks like keeping your distance from your precious little daughter really is the only way you can keep her safe from me, after all. Wouldn't you agree?"

Before Jareth could respond to that, the Agnostic vanished from sight. But the cruel laughter from the entity lingered, echoing throughout the room. Jareth, fully realizing the terrible position he was in, sank to his knees, misery taking hold once again.

From this point on, the visions that were flashing before Stacey's eyes seemed to follow the Agnostic as it continued to wreak havoc on everyone's lives. She watched as the Agnostic tracked her down to the town where Daedalus had brought her and took up the identity of Phoebe, Quinn and Rosabel, enrolling itself into the local school with a series of phony birth certificates. She watched once again how the Agnostic used the disguise to gain her trust before framing her with the broken doll, and relishing in watching her subsequent misery, knowing that her broken tears indicated her innocent childlike nature was destroyed forever by the betrayal.

The final vision, to Stacey's surprise, was of the dwarf, Primrose. Before Stacey's eyes, Primrose knelt by a small river to refill a water skin. It was clear from the dust on her dress that she'd been traveling a long way. Without warning, the Agnostic suddenly materialized beside Primrose, who reacted with shock and alarm. But before she could even begin to run, the Agnostic seemed to latch onto her arm, where it seemed to absorb itself into a small pearl bracelet around Primrose's wrist. For a brief moment, the peals changed color, becoming an inky black color. In the same instant, the fearful expression on Primrose's face was altered, being replaced by a sinister smile.

* * *

Slowly, Stacey became aware that she was lying on her back, a cool, fragrant breeze washing over her face. Acting almost involuntary, she inhaled deeply, needing as much of that fresh air inside her lungs as possible. Moments later, she felt something warm and fuzzy brush against her cheek. In curiosity, she opened her eyes to see what it had been. While it took a few seconds for her vision to focus, she quickly was able to identify the beady eyes of Theseus, looking down at her.

"Cu-chu!" Theseus cooed, the instant he noticed she was awake.

"Hey, Theseus," Stacey muttered, reaching out to scratch at his ears.

"You're awake!" At the sound of the voice crying out, Stacey and Theseus both looked over to see Sarah, who was smiling widely at them. The smile never leaving her face, Sarah turned to call over her shoulder. "Hey! Stacey's awake!"

In a matter of moments, Wayne appeared next to Sarah, sheer relief on his face, followed shortly by Daedalus, who nestled by her side.

"Stacey," Wayne muttered, looking as if he was about to cry from joy. "You're okay! We were so worried!"

The moment Wayne spoke, everything suddenly came flooding back to Stacey. In a sudden panic, she made to sit up, only for Sarah to hold her back and gently coax her back down.

"No, take it easy," she instructed. "Don't try and push yourself too quickly."

"What happened?" Stacey asked, not to be deterred. "What happened to the Agnostic?"

"It's okay," Wayne announced, holding up something in his hand. "It's all over." In curiosity, Stacey glanced down at the object Wayne was holding, which ended up being the two halves of the mask that had been the Agnostic's true form. The mask had been cleaved in two, and looked as if it had been burnt to a crisp.

"It's all over?" Stacey whispered, as if unable to quite believe it. "And Toby? Is Toby okay?"

"He's fine," Sarah reassured. "A little groggy, but he's completely unharmed.

"Here," Wayne said, gently, helping Stacey sit up so she could look around. "See for yourself." Once Stacey was sitting up, she let out a shaky breath, overwhelmed by what she was seeing. While she was currently sitting under the shade of a lean-to, she was still able to take in their surroundings.

They were out in what appeared to be the Border Garden, by the entrance of the Labyrinth. Behind Sarah and Wayne, she could see everything. All the ice and snow had vanished completely, and the Underground was restored to its original glory. A short distance away, she could see Ludo and Sir Didymus, reunited with Lady Bernadine and Baby Reynard. Ambrosius the sheepdog was curled up nearby, perfectly content. There was Prometheus, laughing and playing around with the other Fireys. However, the tension didn't completely dissipate from Stacey's face until she spotted Hoggle and Toby, who were both sitting on a log in front of the lean-to, looking in on her. The moment they noticed her gaze, they smiled at her in greeting.

"Everyone's okay," Stacey breathed.

"Yes," Sarah confirmed. "While we still haven't made an actual headcount, it's looking as if everyone who has disappeared since this whole thing started is back."

"Everyone," Stacey repeated, closing her eyes in relief. Seconds later, however, she opened her eyes to cast a questioning look at Sarah and Wayne. "And…Jareth?"

At the inquiry, Sarah and Wayne shared a cautious glance. But it was Daedalus who answered her.

"We…haven't found him," he admitted. "While we've certainly asked around, it seems as if no one has seen him since he tried to erect that barrier to hold back the Agnostic's final attack."

"But I'm sure that doesn't mean he's dead," Sarah insisted. "Even if he was consumed by the Agnostic, so were the rest of us. Since we all came back, he must have come back, too. And no one has found a body, so that means we have to conclude he's alive, right?"

"Yes, Sarah's right," Wayne agreed. "No one found a body, so it appears he's just gone back into exile. Perhaps, when you've fully regained your strength, we can go searching for him."

"I don't think so," Stacey decided, closing her eyes. "While I'm sure Jareth is indeed still alive somewhere, I don't think we should go looking for him. He's bound to turn up on his own. If he doesn't, then it's probably because he doesn't _want_ to be found. For now, let's just….focus on the important things."

"That's right," Daedauls agreed. "The Agnostic is gone. Thanks to you, Stacey."

"No," Stacey replied, shaking her head. "Thanks to Toby."

* * *

 **AN:** This chapter was exhausting to write, so I'm really hoping I managed to convey everything I'd wanted to


	14. Goodbye

The numb silence in the Williams family's kitchen was broken by the sound of the teapot whistling on the stove. Wordlessly, Robert rose from his seat at the kitchen table, where he and Irene had been sitting, to move the kettle off the burner. After transferring the water to two waiting mugs, he rejoined Irene, offering her one of the cups of tea. Irene responded with a forced smile, but her blank expression returned almost immediately afterwards.

At that moment, the sound of the front door opening was heard, making the pair look up in unison. They barely even realized they were holding their breaths until a voice rang out.

"Mommy? Daddy?" Toby called from the hall. A choked sob slipped out of Irene's throat as she leapt to her feet and dashed out of the kitchen, Robert hot at her heels. Sure enough, Toby and Sarah were standing in the foyer. While they both looked tired and worn out, they were clearly unharmed.

"Toby!" Irene cried, launching herself forward and gathering up the little boy in her arms. As she hugged him tightly, she broke down into tears.

While Irene was busy hugging and kissing Toby in relief, Robert approached Sarah.

"Hi, Dad," Sarah greeted, casting him a small smile. In response, Robert let out a relieved laugh, pulling Sarah into a firm but gentle hug. When they stepped apart, Robert was just opening his mouth to say something, but he never got the chance. Without any noticeable warning, Irene suddenly stepped between them, throwing her arms around Sarah. The unexpected show of affection left Sarah frozen in place for a few moments. In all the time they'd known each other, Irene had never hugged Sarah before. Especially not like this. It wasn't a hug of gratitude for bringing Toby back safely. It was one of affection, like the one that would be shared between a mother and a daughter.

"Sarah," Irene choked out. "I'm so glad you're both home safe."

"Yeah," Sarah replied, slowly starting to return the hug. "Me too."

* * *

The Goblin City was abuzz with activity. Everywhere you looked, there was someone hard at work. Even though the Agnostic's defeat had restored the Labyrinth to its natural splendor, there was still a good amount of structural damage within the city, and possibly within the Labyrinth itself. As such, everyone had banded together to do their part in handling the repairs. Ludo was making use of his control over rocks to assist with fixing the courtyard fountain and city gates. Wayne had become something of an unofficial foreman, using his skills as a carpenter to help with the damage that had been done to the goblins' houses. Sir Didymus was trying to get a team together to venture out into the actual Labyrinth in order to determine the extent of the damage there. The little goblin named Shinjee had even brought out the Humungous Two to help with moving heavy building material and reaching high places. As for Lady Bernadine, she had teamed up with Prometheus and the Fireys to assist the workers by providing them with warm food and drink, while Daedalus and a female goblin named Gürdy helped babysit Baby Reynard and a few of the youngest goblin children, keeping them entertained while their parents were occupied.

Out in a particularly rubble-filled corner of the Goblin City, Stacey was helping to prop up a badly damaged facade with a few heavy wooden beams, in the hopes that doing so would keep the building from collapsing and potentially injuring someone. When she was satisfied that the wooden beam she'd been maneuvering was firmly in place and wouldn't shift out of its current position, she stepped back a bit to wipe away a few beads of sweat that had formed on her brow.

At that moment, a sudden disturbance arrived in the form of a winged goblin, who suddenly fell to the ground nearby with a crash.

"Amåm!" Stacey exclaimed, quickly moving over to help the winged goblin to his feet. " _Again?_ Perhaps you should look into getting lighter armor. Maybe you wouldn't crash all the time if you weren't so weighed down."

"No, my armor is fine!" Amåm insisted, shaking himself off.

"If you say so," Stacey commented, shaking her head in mild exasperation. "Now what's going on? I thought you were heading out with Sir Didymus to survey the Labyrinth for damages"

"I was," Amåm confirmed. But…"

"What is it?" Stacey asked, quickly noticing the way Amåm was shifting around nervously.

"We…came across someone," Amåm explained. "A short distance from the gates to the Goblin City."

"Came across someone?" Stacey blinked in surprise. "Who?"

"It's the female dwarf," Amåm announced. "Primrose. She said…she was requesting an audience with you."

Stacey immediately froze in shock. When Amon had said that someone was outside the gates, she had fully expected it to have been Jareth, showing his face at last. She never would have expected to hear the surprise visitor was Primrose. However, she pushed aside her surprise and took up a diplomatic air.

"Thank you, Amåm," she declared. "Please, lead the way. I'll go see what Primrose has to say."

* * *

On the edge of the Goblin City, Hoggle was busy aiding a handful of goblins in starting a vegetable garden. Because of the Agnostic's prolonged siege, most of everyone's food stores had started to spoil. While Stacey had sent out a decree to ration out the food stored up in the royal pantry to ensure everyone would have something to eat while they got back on their feet, it wasn't yet clear how long the food there would last. As such, it was decided to start planting a garden, in the hopes that the resulting produce could sustain the entire city.

As Hoggle steered the plow to till the soil, the sound of a squealing yelp caught his attention. Glancing over his shoulder, he noticed Theseus's lower half sticking out of a small hole in the ground, his back legs scrambling for purchase. Shaking his head, Hoggle stepped away from the plow to help Theseus get out of his current predicament.

"There you go, you silly furball," Hoggle said, setting the little gremlin down on solid ground. "Were you tryin' to help till the soil? You probably should leave that to the plow. But when it comes time to do the actual plantin' part, we'll certainly be able to use your digging skills."

"Cu-Chu," Thesus replied, beaming up at Hoggle while nuzzling at his hand.

"Yeah, you're welcome," Hoggle chuckled, scratching at Theseus' ears.

As Hoggle got back to his feet, he suddenly sensed someone's eyes on him. When he looked up, he immediately saw Stacey standing a short distance away, smiling warmly at the pair.

"Sorry to interrupt," she began, stepping towards them. "But…I was wondering if you could come for a walk with me, Hoggle."

"Of course," Hoggle agreed, feeling a strange sense of foreboding. Despite the fact that Stacey seemed to be giving off a good-natured demeanor, there was something off about her smile. Nevertheless, Hoggle headed off with Stacey.

"The two of us have really come a long way, haven't we?" Stacey stated as they made their way through the Goblin City. "I was just this outcast loner who no one outside of Wayne would even miss. And from what Sarah and Sir Didymus told me, you started off friendless, too."

"I wasn't just without friends," Hoggle commented. "I was a coward. Someone who betrayed the first person who ever called me a friend."

"You're certainly not a coward anymore," Stacey pointed out. "You've become a brave and loyal friend. Someone I know I can always depend on."

"And look at you," Hoggle continued. "You're not just no longer alone. You're the Goblin Queen. And, if you ask me, you're someone who's worth followin'."

"And we both have more friends than we could have ever imagined," Stacey concluded.

"That we do," Hoggle agreed. "But I get the feelin' that you weren't just lookin' to reminisce about the past."

"You know me too well," Stacey said, letting out an ironic chuckle.

"Stacey, what's wrong?" Hoggle frowned in concern. "You're starting to worry me."

"There's something I haven't mentioned," Stacey confessed. "After that final confrontation with the Agnostic, when I was lying unconscious, I…saw some things. You've heard the old saying of how your life flashes before your eyes when you're faced with death? Well, it wasn't exactly _my_ life that I was reliving. I saw flashes of the past. The moment when Wayne wished away Jareth when they were just boys, the night Jareth met my mom, the day Mom was killed and I got sent away to the Aboveground."

"Stacey," Hoggle whispered, visibly sympathetic. "I'm so…."

"Please, Hoggle, allow me to finish," Stacey interrupted gently. "During these flashes, I learned a few things. I learned the reason why Jareth never bothered to come looking for me was because the Agnostic tricked him. That crescent moon pendant he always wore was infused with a portion of the Agnostic's being. It would have made it possible for the Agnostic to take control of Jareth's body at any given moment. Hoggle….while I was out…I learned the Agnostic took control of someone else in a similar way. It had absorbed itself into a pearl bracelet. The one Primrose always wore."

"Primrose?" Hoggle gaped. "Are you saying...?"

Hoggle's words cut off instantly. They had just reached the gates of the Goblin City, where Sir Didymus was standing guard over a remorseful-looking Primrose.

"She came to talk with me a few minutes ago," Stacey explained. "It would appear that her betrayal was not done of her own volition. The Agnostic took control of her body using her pearl bracelet. It seems Primrose is as much a victim of the Agnostic as the rest of us were."

"So…you're saying she didn't mean to betray us, after all?" Hoggle mused.

"She says she doesn't remember anything that happened after we all left for the Aboveground," Stacey confirmed. "The next thing she knew, she was waking up a short distance from the gates to the Labyrinth. Considering what I saw when I was unconscious, I believe she's telling the truth."

After a pause, Stacey spared a glance down at Hoggle, who was staring at Primrose in a mixture of shock and relief.

"Hoggle," she sighed. "I just want to make it clear. Whatever you decide, don't let your choice be influenced by a perceived obligation to the rest of us. Don't just stay because you feel you need to help us rebuild. If you want to go, then that is what you should do. Whatever you choose, I will support your decision."

Hoggle directed a questioning look at Stacey, trying to figure out what she was saying. But before he could ask, she turned and walked off in the opposite direction, instructing Sir Didymus to come with her. As such, Hoggle watched in silence as his friends walked away, leaving him alone with Primrose.

"Hoggle?" Primrose began, speaking timidly. "I…I just want to start off by saying that I am so sorry for whatever that thing made me do. You and the others were nothing but kind and welcoming to me. The fact that I was forced to betray your kindness…."

"It's all right," Hoggle insisted. "Stacey already explained. "It wasn't your fault. The Agnostic made you do it."

"Even so," Primrose said, wringing her hands in guilt. "I'm…it's probably for the best that I not exploit your hospitality any longer. Besides, I really miss my friends and family back home. And they're probably worried about me, too. I want to see if I can find my way back to my old village. Queen Stacey has already agreed to try and recruit some of the goblins to help escort me home."

"So," Hoggle responded. "That's why you wanted to talk with me? To say goodbye?"

"No, that's not quite what I was wanting to do," Primrose answered. "Actually….I was hoping that you'd want to come with me."

"Come with you?" Hoggle blinked, taken aback by the offer.

"Yes. I mean, I'm sure you must have lived among other dwarfs once. Haven't you ever missed it? If you come home with me, you could live in a dwarf village again. And I know everyone would be so happy to have you."

Hoggle could only blink in surprise, Primrose's offer turning over in his mind.

* * *

"Ye don't think he's actually going to go with her, are you?" Sir Didymus exclaimed, starting incredulously at Stacey, who had just confided in her friends what Primrose had wanted to ask Hoggle.

"It's Hoggle's choice," Stacey replied. "Not ours."

"But…Sir Hoggle is one of us!" Sir Didymus argued. "He can't _possibly_ go."

"Yeah," Ludo nodded in agreement.

"If he decides that he wants to leave the Underground and settle down in the dwarf village with Primrose, we have to accept his decision," Stacey retorted. "If you consider yourself Hoggle's friends, then there's no other choice than to step aside and let him go."

"Stacey," Wayne spoke gently, placing a caring hand on her arm. "Are you certain you're okay with that? I've seen you with Hoggle. I've seen how close you two are. Are you really okay with the possibility of him leaving the Labyrinth?"

For a brief moment, Stacey's face betrayed her anguish at the very thought of Hoggle leaving, but she managed to reign it in a moment later.

"Regardless of how I might feel about it, I want Hoggle to be happy," she replied. "If that means him leaving for the dwarf village, then so be it."

"Cu-Chu," Thesuus chirruped, his ears drooping sadly.

For a moment or two, a mournful silence fell amongst the group. After a pause, Daedalus hopped up onto Stacey's shoulder, pressing his feathery head against Stacey's cheek.

"For whatever it's worth, Stacey," he announced, "your mother would have been proud of you."

"Thank you for that, Daedalus," Stacey replied, reaching out to stroke the owl's head with a finger. "That means a lot."

* * *

 **AN:** So, how about it, everyone? Do you think Hoggle will decide to leave with Primrose? Let me know by leaving a comment.

Also, in case anyone is curious about the thee goblins who were specifically named in this chapter, the goblins Amåm and Gürdy were taken from _The Goblins of Labyrinth_ , a book created by Brian Froud. And Shinjeee was featured in the Labyrinth 30th Anniversary comic, which I currently consider as canon.


	15. A New Beginning

A small squadron of goblins were congregated just outside the gates to the Goblin City. While it had taken about a week to get everything in order amidst the ongoing relief efforts, the day had arrived for Primrose to set off with her goblin escort. Two of the goblins, Candlewic and Gürtie, had been chosen as the leaders of the escort team, and it was glaringly obvious they wanted to leave straightaway.

As the group prepared to leave, Lady Bernadine passed a haversack over to Primrose.

"Here you are," she said. "I packed you some of my special pasties for your journey. You always seemed to love them during your stay here. You'll also find a piece of parchment stored inside. Daedalus scribed the recipe for me. This way, you'll be able to make them for yourself whenever you want."

"Thank you, Lady Bernadine," Primrose replied, embracing the lady fox in gratitude. "You always were a good friend. I'll miss you. But…I wonder where Hoggle is. He _knows_ we're about to leave."

"Does that mean he decided to leave with ye, after all?" Sir Didymus asked. The fact of the matter had been that Hoggle had been rather quiet on the subject of Primrose's offer to have him accompany her back to her village. While it had been clear he was considering it, he hadn't given any indication on what his decision would be.

"He…he hasn't actually told me what he planned to do," Primrose admitted.

"Well, it is a huge decision for him to make," William the Worm stated from his spot atop an uneven brick in the city gates. "He'd be giving up his whole life here. Not to mention saying goodbye to everyone he knows."

"But he'd be able to be with other dwarfs," Lady Bernadine countered. "Until Primrose came to the Labyrinth, Hoggle has been the only dwarf I've seen in these parts. I'm sure it gets lonely, not having others of your kind around."

"Ludo only yeti in Labyrinth," Ludo pointed out. "Ludo _never_ lonely."

Before the conversation could continue, Hoggle suddenly appeared from behind one of Agnes' junk piles. He was clearly out of breath, as if he'd just run the whole way.

"Sorry I'm late," he apologized. "I got a bit held-up."

"It's okay!" Primrose insisted, quickly stepping forward to greet him with a hug. "I'm just glad you made it in time!"

"So, Sir Hoggle," Sir Didymus began, stepping forward. "It looks like it's time to make your decision. Is this going to be farewell?"

Hoggle started to open his mouth in order to reply to Sir Didymus' inquiry, but before he could say a word, he noticed someone was missing from the group that had come out to see everyone off.

"Wait," he said. "Where's Stacey? Isn't she here?"

"I'm afraid she isn't able to be here in person," Daedalus explained sympathetically. "You remember how, when the Agnostic was still a threat, she erected a series of magical barriers around the Labyrinth in an attempt to provide us protection. But one of the largest barriers was put up around the borders. That particular barrier spell was so complex, she has to devote a few hours to remove it. Otherwise, Primrose and her goblin escorts wouldn't be able to leave at all. She said that she was going to try to make it back in time to see you off, but that you shouldn't feel the need to wait around just for her to show up. She instructed me to convey her well-wishes to all of you, if she couldn't be here in person."

After a brief moment, Primrose turned to glance at Hoggle, whose expression was unreadable.

"Well, Hoggle?" she prompted. "Will you be coming with me?"

* * *

Stacey wearily rubbed at her eyes as she made her way through the Border Gardens. Lowering the protective barriers had taken longer than she had initially thought, and had proved to be particularly exhausting. Right now, she felt as if she could sleep for days.

As tired as she was, Stacey still stopped in her tracks when she spotted figures moving in the distance, heading away from the Labyrinth. She realized instantly that it was the goblin squadron, escorting Primrose back to her village and she sadly bowed her head. There was not a doubt in her mind that Hoggle would be among them. He had the chance to be among other dwarfs again, and maybe even build a life with Primrose. Why would he stay in the Labyrinth and give that chance up?

Briefly, she felt deep sorrow that she hadn't gotten the chance to say goodbye to her dear friend in person. At the same time, she also decided that it was probably for the best. Even though she knew that this was Hoggle's decision, she didn't quite trust herself to be completely unselfish at the moment of his departure. She might even try to forbid Hoggle to leave. As Hoggle's friend, she had to _act_ like a friend.

"Goodbye, Hoggle," Stacey whispered, watching as the goblins headed off. Once they were out of sight, she slowly sank to the ground, with her back against the stone wall that circumvented around the Labyrinth, hugging her knees to her chest. After a moment or two, she felt her vision start to blur from the unshed tears. Letting out a sniffling sigh, she quickly wiped the moisture out of her eyes. But when she brought her hand back down again, she let it drop to the ground beside her. Almost at once, she felt a sudden stabbing feeling in her finger and she yanked it back on sheer impulse. Turning to look at what had caused the unexpected pain, she noticed a ruffled-looking fairy flit away. Mentally kicking herself for her carelessness, Stacey glanced down at the sore finger to see tiny pinpricks of blood appearing.

At that moment, a second pair of hands appeared, carefully taking hold of Stacey's. Upon glancing up, Stacey nearly jumped in surprise at the sight of Hoggle standing in front of her.

"Hoggle!" she exclaimed, staring at him in shock. "What…what are you doing here? I just saw Primrose leaving!"

"I'm sure you did," Hoggle commented, examining the fairy bite. Wordlessly, he reached out to pull a leaf from a nearby plant and started to rub it over the wound.

"I don't understand," Stacey muttered, shaking her head. "Weren't you…? I thought you were going with her."

"Did you want me to leave with Primrose?" Hoggle asked, finally looking back up at her.

"No!" Stacey cried. "I mean…it was _your_ decision, not mine. I told you before, I wanted you to choose what would make you happy."

"That you did," Hoggle agreed. "And it would appear I made my choice."

"But…" Stacey sighed, unable to quite fight the smile that was forming on her face as the realization that Hoggle was staying sank in. "You could have been with other dwarfs. Are you sure you won't regret it? Or miss Primrose?"

"Perhaps I _will_ miss her a little," Hoggle admitted, wrapping a bandage around Stacey's finger as he spoke. "But I realized I wouldn't miss her as much as I'd miss the things I had in the Labyrinth- my house, these gardens, my friends….and you."

For a long moment, the two friends sat in silence, having what appeared to be a nonverbal conversation. It was Stacey who looked away first, almost shyly.

"So," she said, breaking the silence. "Should we get back to the castle? Maybe Lady Bernadine made some extra pasties."

"I'd like that," Hoggle agreed.

Together, the two friends headed off together. As they walked, they causally reached out in unison, joining hands.

* * *

The main square of the Goblin City had once again been elaborately decorated with colorful banners and garlands. While there was a long chain of tables filled with all manner of foods, ranging from fruits, sandwiches, sweet potatoes and cheese to pies, cakes, pastries and tarts, everyone's attention was currently directed to the two figures standing on the raised podium in the center of the square.

Stacey, smiling warmly, gently lifted the silver-gilt medal from the silk cushion Sir Didymus had been charged with holding, placing it around Toby's neck. It had been practically a unanimous decision to commend Toby in some manner for the role he played in the defeat of the Agnostic. Especially since his actions had helped save both worlds. But everyone had also agreed that he was still too young to be officially declared a knight. As such, it was decided to award the boy a medal of valor, an act that would make him an honorary member of the royal court. Stacey had even placed an enchantment on the award. With his medal, Toby would be able to travel to the Underground at any time, the way Sarah could with her labyrinth pendant.

Once the medal had been properly awarded to the young boy, Toby excitedly ran over to Robert, Irene and Sarah, who had been seated nearby. For a moment, Stacey simply watched the family interacting, returning Sarah's smile when they met each other's eyes. It was only when she caught sight of Wayne and Daedalus standing by the refreshment tables that she stepped away, making her way over to them,

"So, how did Mr. and Mrs. Williams fare through the ceremony?" she asked once she reached the pair. "I can appreciate how overwhelming the Underground can be on your first visit."

"Well, I doubt they'll be frequent visitors," Wayne predicted. "Irene especially seemed to be unnerved by the appearance of the goblins. But they seem to have accepted the fact that Toby is as safe here as he would be in his own house. And they understand that Toby really did save everyone. Personally, I think you might have won a few points in Irene's eyes when you told Toby that he needed to get his parents' permission to visit the Underground, and that you'd personally remove the enchantment on his medal if he ever came here without telling anyone first."

"Of course I would make that constraint known to him," Stacey commented with a casual shrug. "Toby's still a 6-year-old boy. I'm not about to condone it if he tried to come here on his own."

At that moment, a slight distraction erupted. Prometheus and the other Fireys had impulsively decided to ignite the fireworks that had been set up as part of the celebration of Toby's award ceremony and the defeat of the Agnostic. The sudden booms of the fireworks ended up spooking Ambrosius, who took off like a shot.

As Sir Didymus dashed after Ambrosius, with Wayne and Ludo both heading over to help him corral the scared dog, Stacey briefly redirected her attention to Hoggle, who had suddenly appeared at her side. The dwarf cast a glance over at the tomfoolery that was unfolding before them, rolling his eyes as Ambrosius' attempt at hiding from the sound of the fireworks ended up knocking over a table, resulting in the elaborate display of cupcakes to fly through the air and collide with Ludo, completely covering him with the frosting. In the blink of an eye, Theseus also appeared on the scene. But instead of joining into the ongoing attempts at catching the runaway canine, he simply took up residence on Ludo's shoulder, licking the frosting off the beast's face.

"So," Stacey chuckled, glancing over at Hoggle. "Are you regretting your decision to stay?"

"Actually, I'm not," Hoggle admitted. "Believe it or not, this is one of the things I'd miss the most."

Without another word, Hoggle handed Stacey one of the two goblets of mead he'd been carrying, which she accepted with a brief but tender smile. After playfully clinking their goblets together, the two friends simply sat back to watch the hijinks ensue.

* * *

 **Two Months Later**

Stacey carefully extracted her velvet travel cloak from the wardrobe, draping it over her shoulders. Once she was sure the cloak was secured, she turned and started to exit her bedchamber. Before she reached the door, however, she paused and glanced over at the portrait that hung on the wall. A few weeks ago, the painting that hung on that wall had been one of Queen Susan. However, it had now been replaced with the portrait of Jareth and Susan with the infant Stacey. It was the same painting that had once resided in the abandoned hut, only it had been magically restored to its original splendor.

It was with an odd, slanted smile that Stacey addressed the image of Jareth in the painting.

"I don't know where you are right now," she began. "But I'm hoping you'll decide to return from this self-imposed exile of yours before too long. Because there's still so much I want to say to you. And I want to tell you that I understand, now. I know why you never came back for me, and why you never tried to find me in the Aboveground. We can't undo the past, but that doesn't mean we can't move forward and try to make up for lost time. At the very least, I want the chance to tell you this in person- I forgive you, Father."

"As someone who spent most of his life consumed by guilt, I'm sure he would appreciate knowing you forgave him," Wayne announced from the doorway, announcing his presence.

"Wayne!" Stacey exclaimed, her face lighting up at the sight of him. "I wasn't expecting you today!"

"You sound surprised that I would come visit you." Wayne commented. "Especially considering what you planned to do today. I heard from Sir Didymus and Lady Bernadine that you were about to visit your mother. Unless you'd rather go alone, I wouldn't mind being able to come with you. It's about time I said hello to my sister-in-law, wouldn't you think?"

"I suppose. But it wasn't that I'm not happy to see you, Wanye. Isn't today the first Saturday of the month back in Kent? I thought you'd be continuing your old lumber run tradition."

"Traditions can change," Wayne replied. "And they can be replaced by new ones. To be honest, I think I've made my last lumber run. I've been actually looking into selling that old house in Kent."

"So, does this mean what Daedauls said was true?" Stacey asked. "You're really considering moving permanently into the Underground?"

"I suppose I am," Wayne confirmed. "I think the Labyrinth has a greater need for a carpenter like myself than the people back in Kent. Maybe I could even start whittling again. Did you know the goblin children have very few toys? Perhaps it's time to remedy that. Besides, why would I go back to the Aboveground when all my family is here?"

After sharing a hug of familiarity, the pair made their way together through the castle corridors, eventually stepping out into the Goblin City. It was Stacey who broke the comfortable silence between them.

"It still amazes me, you know," she admitted. "All this time, you were my uncle. And neither of us even realized it."

"You don't have to start calling me Uncle Wayne if it would be too weird for you," Wayne stated. "I can understand how it's a lot to take in. I'm still not quite used to the fact that you're not only by long-lost brother's daughter, but also a queen."

"Perhaps we should just go on acting as if nothing has changed," Stacey suggested. "Regardless of titles, you're still the man who raised me."

"And you'll always be that little girl who brought meaning to my solitary life," Wayne said. "Of course, that just gives me one more reason why I decided to stay in the Underground. In spite of my painful childhood memories associated with this place, I also see the effect living here has had on you. You're clearly much happier living here than you were back in Kent."

"Well, that's largely because I actually have friends in this world," Stacey pointed out. "Which reminds me. Have you heard from Sarah as of late? She'd be back at school now, starting on her junior year."

"She sent me a letter that arrived the day before yesterday," Wayne replied. "She and her fellow drama students are starting read-throughs for an upcoming production of theirs."

"Well, that's good to hear. I hope Toby's adjusting to life as a first grader, too."

"The Williamses actually let me babysit for him about a week ago. He doesn't seem to have suffered any lasting psychological damage from that astral projection spell you performed on him. Or from coming face-to-face with the Agnostic's true form. But he did get into a verbal shouting match with his mother once, the night before his first day of school. She had to call up Sarah and ask her to provide back-up before Toby agreed to leave his medal of valor at home. He'd been initially planning to wear it to school. Sarah was able to convince him that doing so would be like he was showing off, and that wasn't fitting behavior for a future knight. She also managed to convince him to not go about telling everyone about the Underground. Which is probably for the best."

Stacey responded to Wayne's account with an amused smile. While it was largely unspoken, she knew Wayne had caught on to her true concern, and therefore did what he could to reassure her that her actions hadn't caused irreversible damage on Toby's young mind.

After a brief pause, Wayne cast a shrewd smile at Stacey. "Speaking of your friends, how's Hoggle doing? I heard from Sir Didymus you visited him at his hut last night."

"Oh, yes, that's right. When we were taking refuge in Kent while trying to figure out how to stop the Agnostic, we ended up cooking dinner together. We realized that, despite the urgency of the situation, it was rather nice to prepare a meal together like that. Last night was our first attempt at turning that into a weekly thing."

"I see," Wayne replied, the smile still on his face. "So, what did you two end up making?"

"We made beef and barley soup. It was really good, too. Next week, we're thinking of trying our luck at making a ham and leek quiche."

If Wayne was going to comment on that, he never got the chance. By that point, they had arrived at their destination. At the far end of the Goblin City, there was a tall willow tree that seemed to be made entirely of crystal. This was the site of Queen Susan's grave and memorial. Upon seeing the elegant structure, Stacey had momentarily frozen in place, a multitude of emotions on her face. It wasn't until Wayne reached out to give her shoulder a sympathetic and supportive squeeze that she seemed to snap out of her trance.

With a shaky breath, Stacey approached the base of the tree, staring up at the crystal leaves that shimmered in the sunlight.

"Hi, Mom," she whispered. "Well, we did it. The Agnostic's gone for good. Though you probably already know that. Either way, thank you for helping us figure out how to beat it." Even though Stacey had fully interned to say more than that, she found her voice trailing off, wondering how it was possible to want to say so much but still be at a loss for words. Thankfully, Wayne seemed to sense Stacey's internal predicament, for he chose that moment to step forward.

"I want to thank you, too, Queen Susan," he said. "I know we never got the chance to meet or even talk, but I'll always be grateful to you. Not only did you bring happiness to my brother's life, but you also brought Stacey into the world. It was cruel that you were taken from them so abruptly. I hope it's a small consolation, knowing that your family and world are now safe."

After directing a grateful smile at Wayne for his impromptu speech, Stacey conjured up a wreath of flowers, which she placed at the base of the memorial. But as she started to return to her feet, she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. The wreath of flowers wasn't the only thing that had been placed at Susan's grave. A single rose was also lying there.

All at once, the realization of who had left the rose hit her, and she began looking around, searching for a glimpse of her father. However, it appeared that the area was completely deserted. Deflated, she turned to look back at Wayne, who had clearly reached the same conclusion as her.

"It's getting late," Wayne commented. "Perhaps we just missed him."

"Yeah, maybe," Stacey agreed.

A short time later, Stacey and Wayne left to return to the castle together. Neither of them noticed the lone barn owl perched on a nearby rooftop, who silently watched them leave. It wasn't until that the pair had disappeared into the castle that the owl took wing, flying off into the night.

* * *

 **AN:** And that concludes my story. Hope it was enjoyable for everyone.

While the story can technically end here, I do have a potential plan for one more adventure in the Labyrinth. It would involve the group traveling to the birthplace of Queen Susan, where the Mages from the Order of the Willow are locked in an ongoing battle with the Nereids. The only real question is if anyone would be interested in hearing that story. Let me know if you'd like to hear me continue. If not, I thank you all for taking the time to read my story.


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